Nenad Nešić and Others Given One Month in Custody

(Patria) - The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has ordered a one-month custody for State Minister of Security Nenad Nešić, owner of the company "Legend" Mladen Lučić, and director of the company Putevi RS Milan Dakić, whom the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina suspects of high-level corruption and money laundering, reports Istraga.ba.

Just before the hearing itself, at which the Prosecutor's Office requested a one-month custody, Nešić fell ill and is currently at the Clinical Center in Sarajevo.

The presiding prosecutor Bojana Jolović stated in the motion for custody the offenses for which Nešić, Lučić, and Dakić are suspected.

She highlighted that money was extracted from Putevi RS through tenders for road maintenance and road companies that received road maintenance contracts, which was then paid into accounts of individuals and for which fictitious invoices from legal entities were issued.

That money ended up with the then director of Putevi RS, Nenad Nešić.

Nešić is suspected of the criminal offense of associating for the purpose of committing criminal acts under Article 249 of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina, abuse of official position or authority (Article 315 of the Criminal Code of Republika Srpska), and accepting bribes (Article 319 of the Criminal Code of Republika Srpska).

Lučić is also suspected of the same offenses, while Dakić is charged with abuse of official position and accepting bribes.

The Financial Investigation Department of SIPA reported suspicious transactions from Romanijaputevi directed to the account of Esad Avdić as early as 2019.

Prosecutor Jolović stated at the hearing that the Prosecutor's Office determined that the transactions originated from fictitious legal entities connected to Sanjin Avdić and that there was a transfer from Romanijaputevi's account to Esad Avdić, whom the Prosecutor's Office suspects of the criminal offense of associating for the purpose of committing criminal acts and money laundering.

Jolović stated that extensive documentation has been collected and that the Prosecutor's Office has expanded the investigation to several legal and natural persons. Among these legal entities is the company Romanijaputevi RS. From this company's account, 300,000 KM was paid to Avdić, with one part of 87,000 KM still blocked.

The prosecutor said that according to the statement of suspect Mirko Pandurević, Nešić was given 250,000 KM annually, and over four years that amounts to one million KM.

According to the Prosecutor's Office, Pandurević had to return ten percent of the agreed business of two million KM to Nešić, which he admitted in his statement.

Nešić's accomplice was Mladen Lučić, who, as stated, received a bribe in the amount of 185,000 KM, which he took over in November 2019 at the "Espana" hotel in Lukavica.

In the context of the suspect Dakić, the current director of Putevi RS, it was determined that he also extracted money from this company through Pandurević.

He is suspected of having, during 2023 and 2024, in his capacity as director of Putevi RS, accepted gifts from Pandurević in the amounts of 10,000, 15,000, and 20,000 KM in order to release invoices to Romanijaputevi.

The Prosecutor's Office also stated that the custody measure was requested due to the risk that the suspects might conceal evidence, influence witnesses, and accomplices.