NO DETENTION PROPOSAL: TK Prosecutor's Office proposed restraining measures for Bijedić and others

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The Cantonal Prosecutor's Office of Tuzla Canton, after questioning six suspects at the premises of the Agency for Investigation and Protection of BiH (SIPA) in Tuzla, submitted to the Municipal Court in Tuzla a proposal for imposing various restraining measures against Enver Bijedić, Amir Sušić, Amir Torsunović, Aziz Čačković, Atif Mujkić and Dženan Mujkić, who are suspected of committing the criminal offenses of association for the purpose of committing criminal acts in conjunction with receiving a reward or other form of benefit for influence peddling, or in the case of Sušić and Čačković, the criminal offense of abuse of position and authority. 

In this case, the Prosecutor's Office, in cooperation with SIPA investigators, has been conducting a multi-month investigation, and yesterday searches were carried out of private and business premises used by the suspects, during which numerous relevant pieces of evidence were collected, therefore ensuring the presence of the suspects in the further course of the criminal proceedings can also be achieved through restraining measures, instead of the measure of detention. 

For all suspects, restraining measures have been proposed prohibiting mutual meetings or meetings with witnesses, and mandatory periodic reporting to the competent police station. For Bijedić, a measure prohibiting visits to the premises of the Tuzla Salt Mine has also been proposed, and along with the same measure, for Tursunović, a prohibition on performing the duties of Chairman of the Supervisory Board at the Mine has been proposed, and for Čačković, a prohibition on performing the duties of acting director of the Mine.

By proposing restraining measures, the suspects were released to defend themselves from liberty.

We remind you, Enver Bijedić is suspected of organizing and leading a group that included the other suspects, and that in the period from September 2019 to February 2021, using his influential position as president of the Social Democrats BiH party and a deputy in the Parliament of BiH, he mediated between the suspects and incited them to commit the aforementioned criminal offenses.

An investigation has been opened against these individuals in the Prosecutor's Office, which relates to irregularities during the rigging of tenders worth around 5.5 million KM for the company "Minning and Drilling" from Gračanica for carrying out works on research-exploitation boreholes at the Tetima rock salt deposit in the Tuzla Salt Mine. The investigation confirmed reasonable suspicion that the tenders in the mentioned period were annulled multiple times, even though a qualified and credible company from Bulgaria had on several occasions submitted offers that were about 2 million KM cheaper than the Gračanica company, in order to continuously favor and insist that this particular company get the job.

Also, the suspects were aware that the Gračanica company was not a qualified and credible bidder because it had neither the human nor material resources to carry out these works, but regardless, a contract for performing these works was concluded with this company on February 12, 2021, with an additional clause in the contract that instead of the previous and usual 5%, unforeseen and subsequent works could be increased by up to 20% of the contract value, which is another approximately 1.1 million KM on the contract value, without the obligation of further public procurement procedures.

In this way, the suspects Atif and Dženan Mujkić and the company Minning and Drilling from Gračanica, although it was not a qualified or credible bidder, obtained a benefit in the form of being selected as the most favorable bidder for these works, as well as in the form of acquiring the necessary qualifications for subsequent public procurements for carrying out research-exploitation borehole works in BiH, but also abroad.