Five Lijanovićs Behind Bars!

Acting on the order of the BiH Prosecutor's Office, an operation codenamed "Meso" (Meat) is underway in several cities, reports the Patria News Agency. This is one of the largest operations in the fight against organized crime and multi-million dollar tax evasions.

The operation is led by a prosecutor from the BiH Prosecutor's Office, from the Operational Headquarters of the operation, and several hundred police officers from SIPA and the Indirect Taxation Authority of BiH are participating in the field activities. Police forces of the MUP of HNK and ZHK provided support in the locations where arrests and searches were carried out.

The Chief Prosecutor of the BiH Prosecutor's Office is being directly informed about all activities, given that this is one of the most complex organized crime cases in post-Dayton Bosnia and Herzegovina. Among other things, it involves tax evasions amounting to over 11 million KM, committed through the establishment and subsequent fictitious closure of companies, leaving behind large tax debts. The aforementioned companies were involved in the import, production, and processing of meat and meat products.

The budget of BiH, and thus all citizens of our country, has been damaged by the aforementioned multi-million amounts. Activities are being carried out at a total of 14 locations in cities across Bosnia and Herzegovina, and approximately 10 suspects will be arrested, with searches conducted at 3 companies.

In the "Meso" operation, facilities and companies owned by or used by the suspects were searched:

Ivanković-Lijanović Jerko (1969.)

Ivanković-Lijanović Slavo (1957.)

Ivanković-Lijanović Jozo (1962.)

Ivanković-Lijanović Mladen (1960.)

 

Bahilj Milorad (1953.)

Slišković Jozo (1956.)

Ivanković Venka (1941.)

Mikulić Željko (1959.)

Ivanković Zdravko (1968.)

Kvesić Draženko (1968.)

Čolak Miroslav (1941.)

Ivanković Lijan-Stipe (1933.)

Šakota Mirjana (1958.)

Galić Mirko (1954.)

 

As part of the operation, searches and seizure of documentation and evidence were carried out at the companies: "Lijanovići" d.o.o. Široki Brijeg, "Kora-fin" doo Široki Brijeg, "Velmos Company" d.d. Mostar.

The aforementioned suspects are under investigation and are suspected of the criminal offenses of organized crime from Article 250, Paragraph 3 of the Criminal Code of BiH, in conjunction with the criminal offenses of tax non-payment from Article 211, tax evasion or fraud from Article 210, and money laundering from Article 209 of the Criminal Code of BiH.

After questioning the suspects, the acting prosecutor will make a decision on initiating a motion for the determination of custody or prohibition measures in accordance with the law.

The BiH Prosecutor's Office thanks all police agencies that participated in this operation and investigation in this case.

Otherwise, as announced by the Indirect Taxation Authority of BiH, the activities taking place today in the field, related to the operation codenamed "Meso" (Meat), are the result of the work of ITA officials, who in the previous few years investigated certain irregularities regarding the trade of meat and meat products by several taxpayers, after which they prepared reports and forwarded them to the BiH Prosecutor's Office.