Tax Evasion: Searches of Catering Facilities in Herzegovina

MOSTAR, (Patria) - In the area of Mostar, as well as some other cities in Herzegovina, the operation "Kasa 3" has been ongoing since this morning, with members of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) on the ground.

Catering facilities, as well as software companies, are being searched in connection with tax evasion, as was the case in the "Kasa" and "Kasa 2" operations when well-known catering facilities in Sarajevo and East Sarajevo were searched. SIPA members are assisted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton.

The facilities being searched include Caffe Pizzeria MARINERO in Mostar, companies "X-soft" and "RSS" from Mostar, ETNO KUĆA in Šurmanci near Čapljina, Restoran CHARISMA in Mostar, Karting sport caffe within the "Karting klub" in Mostar, Restoran "Santa Fee" in Međugorje, SUR "Goranci" in Mostar, Bumerang nightclub in Čitluk, and restaurants Maslina, Pizzeria Gusar, nightclub and restaurant TENIS in Mostar.

During the "Kasa" operation in Sarajevo, searches were conducted at well-known catering facilities such as Vatra, Metropolis, Kibe Mahala, Montana, Restoran Una, Restoran Luka, and others. Several owners and responsible persons were apprehended, and some were remanded in custody.

Furthermore, during the implementation of the operational action "Kasa 2", SIPA police officers searched residential, business, and catering facilities at 12 locations and arrested six individuals on suspicion of committing the criminal offense of "Tax and Contribution Evasion", in connection with the criminal offense of "Computer Fraud".

In the Kasa operation, Oleg Krautblatt and Ines Juretić were arrested on suspicion of computer fraud. Krautblatt and Juretić are suspected of selling special software called "Inspirit Gastro" to catering facilities throughout the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity, which enabled caterers to evade taxes by falsifying fiscal receipts.

The specialized program was designed based on the principle of a "short click and long click". This means that the employed waiters at the suspected caterers used the "short click" when printing receipts for sold products, which were duly recorded in the system. However, the "long click" involved manipulations, as the cash registers also issued a receipt but did not register the transaction, thereby reducing the actual turnover.