Police Officers Appeals Board Has 150 Cases, Statute of Limitations or Dismissal in Ristić Case?

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - SIPA Inspector Robert Ristić, who was dismissed in May 2021 by a decision of the Disciplinary Commission, is still an employee of this state police agency and comes to work and receives his full salary.

Ristić, through his lawyer, appealed the Disciplinary Commission's decision to the Police Officers Appeals Board, but due to the expiration of the Board's mandate, the appeal was never considered, nor was the dismissal decision confirmed.

In mid-December 2021, after nearly seven full months since the previous Board's mandate expired, a new Appeals Board was appointed, and approximately 150 cases are pending.

Board President Samir Rizvo previously confirmed to Patria that two sessions have already been held and that cases are being processed in the order they were received.

Rizvo confirmed to Oslobođenje that in some cases, the statute of limitations for conducting disciplinary proceedings has passed, but he did not specify which cases.

Robert Ristić's case is specific because the disciplinary procedure was initiated on time, but the second-instance decision was pending due to the absence of the Appeals Board.

According to Patria's information, the Board will consider all cases regardless of the time elapsed and make a decision in Ristić's case as well. The decision could be to accept the appeal and annul the dismissal decision, to reject the appeal, thereby confirming the inspector's dismissal, or that the statute of limitations has possibly passed, and Ristić remains in service.

If the dismissal decision is confirmed, Ristić can approach the competent court to determine any statute of limitations for conducting the disciplinary procedure.

The Police Officers Appeals Board also handles appeals from candidates regarding decisions on the admission of cadets to police agencies, decisions of police agencies on their status matters, termination of employment due to meeting retirement conditions, promotion decisions, disciplinary commission decisions and decisions of police body leaders on disciplinary responsibility of police officers, decisions on internal transfers, and annual work evaluations. A number of appeals relate to the current competition for the admission of 150 cadets to the Border Police of BiH. This competition was compromised because, after the list was published on September 20, only a few days later, the president of the Cadet Admission Commission, Rejhan Raković, was arrested with a large amount of money and candidate lists found on him. The Prosecutor's Office of BiH is conducting an investigation in this case, and there is evidence indicating corruption related to cadet admission, meaning that positions were being sold for 10,000, 20,000, or even 30,000 KM. The Director of the Border Police of BiH, Zoran Galić, has not commented on this competition and is awaiting the decision of the Appeals Board to take further steps regarding the competition.

Regarding Inspector Ristić's case, the Istraga.ba portal reported in May 2021 that the State Investigation and Protection Agency had submitted a report to the Prosecutor's Office of BiH on collected information related to Ristić and the mysterious return of unexamined mobile phones seized from Duško Đurasović, director of the company MDDI Group, suspected of smuggling 50 kilograms of cocaine.

The acting prosecutor was Džermin Pašić, and the mobile phones were returned to Đurasović after three months on Ristić's initiative.

The disputed phones were seized when, in cooperation with the US DEA, a major international operation was conducted in February 2020, resulting in the seizure of cocaine worth one hundred million euros. The final destination of the approximately 50 kilograms of drugs was Sarajevo, and Đurasović's company MDDI was the importer of the bananas in which the cocaine was found. Although Đurasović was arrested, the Prosecutor's Office of BiH did not request his pre-trial detention.

In May 2020, Inspector Ristić founded the transport company TVT Šped, registered under his mother, Marija Ristić. His first contracts were with the company MDDI Group, founded by Duško Đurasović.

Immediately after its establishment, Ristić's company purchased two trucks and signed a contract with MDDI, the importer of bananas containing 50 kilograms of cocaine.

The drug shipment originated from Colombia, and a ton of cocaine was found in bananas ordered by Izet Rastoder. A significant portion of the total ton of cocaine was seized by Italian police, and part of the cocaine was destined for the Balkans. Italian police installed GPS devices to determine the end-user. The goods then traveled from Italy to the Port of Bar in Montenegro, where they were loaded onto trucks, some of which headed towards North Macedonia, and others towards Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the bananas (containing cocaine) were to be received by the company MDDI Group Sarajevo. The founders of MDDI are Duško Đurasović and Edis Rastoder, son of Izet Rastoder.

SIPA found the drugs and a built-in GPS in a truck at the Halilovići Customs Terminal. Two drivers were arrested and then promptly released. By order of Džermin Pašić, the director of MDDI Group, Duško Đurasović, was also questioned, and two phones were seized from him, which were suspected to contain evidence about the end-user of the imported cocaine. However, prosecutor Pašić did not detain anyone who was questioned or interviewed.