FUP and Prosecutor's Offices Investigate: Suspicious Arabs Fraudulently Buying Land, Notaries in BiH Helping Them!

At a lightning-fast and alarming pace, citizens of Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries are buying real estate and land in Bosnia and Herzegovina, even though individuals from these countries cannot purchase houses and land in our country because there is no reciprocity in acquiring property rights in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and these countries, writes the Patria news agency.

However, one does not need to be an expert to see how many properties and acres of land are already owned by Arabs, a fact recently highlighted in an interview for the BiH news agency Patria by the esteemed professor Esad Duraković, who said he had „publicly pointed out the problem of the mass sale of land in BiH."

- I am not emphasizing that it is about Arabs, but about foreigners in general; I would speak about the mass sale of land to any foreigners. I unsuccessfully tried to get some media to mark and give media „treatment“ to this problem, but – the media are also part of society, and how! It is known that Arabs are buying thousands of acres of the best Bosnian land, buying entire regions, areas. So we already have a significantly changed structure in Ilidža, which is the most beautiful part of Sarajevo; we have lost Vrelo Bosne and Ilidža as the most beautiful excursion spots around Sarajevo – says Duraković.

Besides the fact that none of the BiH politicians are reacting to this dangerous phenomenon, many Arabs who have bought houses and land in BiH have done so through fraud, and investigations are already underway in the Federal Police Administration and in some cantonal prosecutor's offices, including the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office.

A large number of notaries in BiH, led by the former president of the Notary Chamber of FBiH Sefedin Suljević, have also participated in the entire criminal operation, against whom a criminal complaint has been forwarded to the Prosecutor's Office of Sarajevo Canton.

- The Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office is verifying the allegations in the criminal complaint filed by the Federal Police Administration (FUP) against S.S. and others on grounds of suspicion that he committed the criminal offense of abuse of position or authority under Article 383 of the Criminal Code of the Federation of BiH, in order to determine whether a criminal offense was committed. Upon completion of the checks, the Prosecutor's Office will decide on further actions and measures within its jurisdiction, all with the aim of reaching a prosecutorial decision – say the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office.

As we learn, Suljević helped a certain Mohammed Saad Awad Alhmood from Jordan, the owner of a certain company Agar based in Ilijaš, where Suljević's office is also located, to buy an enormously large number of properties and land, which Alhmood intended to resell to other persons of Arab origin.

According to Patria's findings, Alhmood has repeatedly defrauded BiH citizens by purchasing properties (land and houses) in the areas of Sarajevo, Jablanica, Konjic, and Olovo, and then transferring the properties to his name in the land registers, and subsequently selling them as his own property to other buyers, without settling outstanding obligations to the sellers.

Alhmood also remained indebted in various transactions involving the resale of land in the area of Boračko and Jablaničko lakes.

Furthermore, the fact that taxes have not been paid is also being investigated, and notary Suljević, among other things, signed nearly 100 contracts with individuals (Arabs) for the purchase of properties, and later annulled those contracts and transferred them to companies, which the FUP characterized as destroying evidence of a committed criminal offense.

- The Tax Administration of FBiH is „combing through“ phantom companies that were established solely to purchase properties, but never paid a single mark in taxes. Major crime is happening in this sector – our source points out.

Among other things, checks are being carried out and documentation is being collected on the establishment and registration of the companies „RSD“, „Montana nekretnine“ ,„Alyaseen“, „Agar“...

- We must determine all changes in ownership structures and changes of responsible persons in them – added our source close to the investigation.

And while the police and prosecutors are only now truly seeing the extent and seriousness of the problem, politicians are doing nothing to prevent this increasingly dangerous phenomenon – the mass sale of land! (acz)

(To be continued...)