Commission for Combating Corruption Receives Complaints: Who is Building Customs Terminals in Advance for the Indirect Taxation Authority and Who is Being Favored

(Patria) - The Commission for Combating Corruption will hold a session on February 25, when it is expected to make a decision on public hearings regarding the work of the Indirect Taxation Authority of Bosnia and Herzegovina (UIO BiH) and other individuals, with a special emphasis on the actions of judicial institutions concerning criminal cases with grounds for suspicion of corruption within the UIO BiH since 2014.

At the same session, the commission will be informed about two anonymous complaints concerning the actions of the UIO BiH Administration led by Zoran Tegeltija, his assistants, in relation to customs terminals that are being built in advance even though tenders have not yet been announced, or where the owners of already built customs terminals are the winners of the tenders. The complaint describes in detail Tegeltija's connections with the owners of these plots and the companies that built the terminals. According to the complaint, such a case involves the Brod Customs Office. Regarding the Sokolac Customs Office, it is being relocated to East Sarajevo, where a new terminal is being built within the former RAOP complex.

A change has also occurred in the location of the Zenica Customs Office, which has been moved to the private land of a politician, and the complaint lists the names of related companies and individuals.

The complainant informs the commission that the same is being prepared for the Gradiška customs terminal when the new Gradiška border crossing is opened. It is suspected that the UIO will decide that due to the proximity of the bridge, the new customs terminal must be located further away, so the complainant is already urging the commission to investigate who is carrying out the preparatory works and who will win the public tender that the UIO BiH will announce.

The complainant warns that since Zoran Tegeltija took over the leadership of the UIO, numerous irregularities have been recorded, as confirmed by the Audit Office of Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The second complaint concerns family and godparent ties and the employment of family members within the UIO BiH. An appeal has been sent to both the Commission for Combating Corruption and the BiH Prosecutor's Office to investigate these allegations within this extremely important institution, which is under the control of Zoran Tegeltija and his close associates.

Furthermore, the Commission has been notified of suspected corruption and favoritism during the competition for four assistant positions to Tegeltija, none of which will be filled by Bosniaks.