Director of US INL Mark Tervakoski Visited SIPA and BiH Prosecutor's Office

(Patria) - Director of the Office for Europe and Asia at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) Mark Tervakoski, accompanied by his associates, visited the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) and the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina yesterday.

At SIPA, he held talks with the Director of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) Darko Ćulum, with the presence of Deputy Director Dragan Andrić and Chief Vahidin Šahinpašić.

Director Tervakoski and his associates were informed about the organization, competencies, work priorities, and SIPA's positioning in international cooperation, as well as all important facts regarding work priorities.

Director Ćulum emphasized that SIPA's priorities are the fight against terrorism, organized crime, corruption, and financial crime, as well as cooperation with partner agencies in the country and the region.

The focus was also placed on the continuation and improvement of cooperation in organizing specialized training for police officers, enhancing analytical tools, and other forms of cooperation, with the aim of improving the fight against transnational organized crime.

At the end of the meeting, Director Ćulum thanked the INL delegation for the many years of successful cooperation and the continuous support that the United States of America provides to SIPA in strengthening its human and material-technical capacities, which significantly contributes to the more efficient work of police officers.

The meeting participants expressed their readiness and commitment to continue the existing good cooperation. Director Mark Tervakoski was presented with a relief emblem of SIPA.

A meeting was held at the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina with Chief Prosecutor Milanko Kajganić.

During the meeting, Chief Prosecutor Kajganić spoke about the activities and work of the Prosecutor's Office of BiH and partner police institutions and agencies in combating international drug trafficking, organized crime, illegal financial flows, cybercrime, and other criminal offenses.

Chief Prosecutor Kajganić informed INL officials about the work and results of the Prosecutor's Office of BiH in these areas, including cases related to evidence obtained through encrypted applications such as Sky and Anom. These cases largely concern organized crime linked to international drug trafficking and money laundering, including illegal shipments originating from South America and Western Europe.

INL officials expressed recognition for the efforts of the Prosecutor's Office of BiH in strengthening its focus on combating transnational organized crime. Chief Prosecutor Kajganić once again emphasized the importance of INL's support, as well as the cooperation between the Prosecutor's Office of BiH, INL, and other partner institutions.

Yesterday, Tervakoski also participated in a forum organized by the Ministry of Security of BiH to call for decisive steps in protecting the integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina's (BiH) financial systems and avoiding being placed on the “grey list” of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

Progress in this area will prevent criminal networks from misusing BiH's financial systems, which has far-reaching consequences for our common security and prosperity.