Tadić: In the coming period, we will make decisions in some very important cases

Acting Chief Prosecutor Gordana Tadić addressed the media and citizens of BiH for the first time since taking office, reports Patria.

Two months after taking office as acting chief prosecutor, and before the end of the current year, Tadić wishes to report that in the past period, a series of activities have been undertaken to ensure the efficient work of the BiH Prosecutor's Office.

- I can tell the public that in the coming period, after investigations are concluded, we will make prosecutorial decisions in some very important cases of organized crime, war crimes, corruption, terrorism, and other criminal offenses within our jurisdiction.

Our previous results best speak to the work of the BiH Prosecutor's Office. This year, the BiH Prosecutor's Office marks 13 years of existence and is approaching the figure of 5,000 individuals indicted for criminal offenses of war crimes, organized crime, corruption, financial and tax crime, human trafficking, terrorism, and other criminal offenses within our jurisdiction. In terms of prosecuting war crimes, the work of this prosecutor's office is recognized, and we have reached the figure of about 640 indicted for grave breaches of international humanitarian law, with a conviction rate of over 80% - says Tadić.

In the past 12 years, prosecutors in the Special Department for Organized Crime, Economic Crime, and Corruption have filed indictments in 564 cases against 1,797 accused individuals.

- The Court of BiH, from 2004 to the end of 2015, issued final convictions for 1,139 individuals in cases handled by the Special Department for Organized Crime, Economic Crime, and Corruption. The conviction rate in cases handled by the BiH Prosecutor's Office is above 90%.

The public knows that in the past period, cases involving criminal organizations have been successfully concluded, with multi-decade prison sentences handed down, as well as many other cases that significantly endangered the security of our country's citizens.

In cases of money laundering alone, 203 individuals have been indicted, and through verdicts by the Court of BiH, illicit property gains amounting to approximately 10.2 million KM have been confiscated. For offenses related to the unauthorized trafficking of narcotic drugs, over a period of 4 years, indictments have been filed against 248 individuals - stated Tadić.

In cases of tax evasion and financial crime, in one case alone, e.g., Čago et al., illicit property gains of 7.5 million KM were confiscated. Final convictions for terrorism offenses have resulted in approximately 150 years of imprisonment.

- The BiH Prosecutor's Office will certainly accept justified and well-founded criticism of our work, but we want to emphasize that all citizens are equal before the law, and we will not allow certain cases to be singled out for any reason. We are always open to constructive dialogue.

I want to point out that the BiH Prosecutor's Office is an institution for all citizens of our country, and in the coming period, we will continue to work intensively on prosecuting all criminal offenses within our jurisdiction. We thank the citizens, media, victims' associations, non-governmental organizations, and domestic and international partner institutions for the support they provide us - added Tadić.