If SIPA proves criminal activity, Nikola Špirić could face prison

The Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina has formed a case based on newspaper reports in the case of Nikola Špirić, and SIPA is currently gathering information, confirmed for BN TV the spokesperson of the Prosecutor's Office of BiH Boris Grubešić, reports the Patria agency.

A high-ranking SNSD official, current representative in the Parliament of BiH, could face one of the most serious indictments for abuse of position, accepting bribes, and involvement in million-euro crime, which damaged the budget of BiH and the citizens of this country.

The media first revealed that Špirić several years ago paid for an Audi Q7 with state money. Špirić showed that the car was paid for nearly 100,000 KM more than it is actually worth, which prompted investigators to suspect that Špirić pocketed the difference from the state treasury for himself.

The Patria agency opened a new, much larger affair last year than the previous one. Sources of the Patria agency revealed that Špirić, while he was state prime minister, received about 2.5 million KM in bribes from the brother of Ilija Studen, owner of the Studen agrana factory, so that Špirić would exempt this sugar refinery from customs duties when importing sugar into BiH. Over six years, Studen agrana avoided paying about 60 million KM in customs duties, meaning the state treasury was left empty by that amount.

Sources of Patria also claimed that Špirić received an apartment in Austria from Studen in return.

An official investigation in the case of Špirić has not yet been launched, but this could happen very soon.