OPERATION START Safes Searched, Gold and Cash Seized, Transactions Worth 429,820 BAM and 82,289 Euros Suspended

(Patria) - Police officers of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) yesterday (May 9, 2023), within the coordinated operational action of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Sarajevo Canton codenamed "Start", which was carried out under the supervision of the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Cantonal Prosecutor's Office of Sarajevo Canton, took measures and actions during which they conducted bank account checks for nine natural persons and six legal entities.

Within the mentioned activities, SIPA police officers temporarily suspended transactions for nine natural persons and six legal entities in the total amount of 429,820.78 convertible marks and 82,289.26 euros.

Also, SIPA police officers searched five safes at four locations in Sarajevo, during which 17,100.00 convertible marks and 9,290.00 euros were discovered and temporarily seized, as well as a certain amount of gold jewelry and documentation that could serve as evidence in criminal proceedings.

In further operational activities, on May 10, 2023, SIPA police officers, during the search of two safes whose users were some of the persons concerned, discovered and temporarily seized 1,000.00 convertible marks and 2,670.00 euros.

The mentioned activities were undertaken due to the existence of grounds for suspicion that criminal offenses of "Organized Crime" and "Money Laundering", prescribed by the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and criminal offenses of "Abuse of Office or Authority", "Money Laundering", and "Receiving Gifts and Other Forms of Benefit", prescribed by the Criminal Code of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, have been committed.