New indictment for migrant smuggling

(Patria) - The Prosecutor's Office of BiH has filed an indictment against Haris Karamehmedović, born in 1968 in Sarajevo, a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Damir Miličević, born in 1981 in Ljubuški, a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia, and Jasmin Kajanija, born in 1975 in Ljubača, Konjic municipality, a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The indictment states that during August 13/14, 2018, the first accused Haris Karamehmedović as the organizer, and the other accused as members of the group, for the purpose of personal financial gain for an agreed amount of 7,500 euros, organized the reception and illegal transport of six illegal migrants, including one minor, citizens of Iran, all with the aim of organizing their further illegal transfer from BiH to Croatia, to their final destination of Italy.

Accused Haris Karamehmedović, together with Jasmin Kajanija, is accused of receiving the migrants in Mostar on the said day, taking the previously agreed amount of money, and then the accused Damir Miličević took them and transported them by passenger motor vehicle illegally across the state border of BiH into the territory of Croatia and left them at a location known to him.

They were prevented from further action and discovered by police officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Croatia. The aforementioned actions constitute a criminal offense and are contrary to Article 6 of the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, supplementing the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime ("Official Gazette of BiH" no. 3/02) and Article 7, paragraph 2 of the Border Control Law ("Official Gazette of BiH" no. 53/09, 54/10, 47/14).

The accused are charged with committing the criminal offense of organizing a group or association for the commission of the criminal offense of migrant smuggling under Article 189a, in conjunction with the criminal offense of human trafficking under Article 189 of the Criminal Code of BiH. The indictment has been forwarded to the Court of BiH for confirmation.