Prosecutor's Office of BiH in 2017: 88 indictments for economic crime, only nine in corruption cases

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - At the session of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH scheduled for June 20, deputies will discuss the Information on the work of the Prosecutor's Office of BiH for 2017. The report was submitted on 90 pages, and measures and proposals for improving the work of the Prosecutor's Office of BiH are also stated.

Earlier, this item was removed from the agenda due to the inability of the proposer to attend. The Information on the work is to be defended by the acting Chief Prosecutor Gordana Tadić. 

As stated in the Information, during the reporting period (2017), there were 1,536 cases involving 7,850 persons.

- 650 cases involving 2,155 persons were resolved, while 886 cases involving 5,695 persons remained unresolved. There were 772 reports carried over from previous years – the Information on the work states.

Compared to 2016, last year the number of reports decreased in terms of cases (41) and in terms of persons (540). The number of reports in progress decreased by 12 in terms of cases and 689 in terms of persons, while the number of resolved reports increased by 114 cases and 689 in terms of persons.

The number of unresolved reports compared to 2016 increased by 21 in terms of cases and 68 in terms of persons. 

- Resolving investigations in the reporting period at the report stage resulted in an order to conduct an investigation in 327 cases against 960 persons, in 254 cases against 827 persons orders were issued not to conduct an investigation, while 66 cases against 316 persons were resolved in another way - the Information states. 

Compared to 2016, in the Prosecutor's Office of BiH the number of investigations opened by an order to conduct an investigation decreased by 156 cases involving 565 persons, and consequently a smaller number of resolved investigations by 61 cases involving 220 persons, which is the result of prosecutors resolving cases at the report stage, as well as a reduced number of reports in the reporting period. 

- It is evident that the resolution of reports compared to 2016 increased both in terms of cases and persons, while the influx of reports decreased compared to 2016. Since the largest number of received reports is related to economic crime, consequently the largest number of indictments were filed in economic crime cases: 88 indictments against 118 persons, followed by war crimes cases with 38 indictments against 89 persons, then general crime cases with 33 indictments against 44 persons, and also in organized crime cases, 21 indictments were filed against 89 persons. 

In corruption cases, nine indictments against 26 persons, while in cases related to the criminal offense of terrorism, not a single indictment was filed – stated in the Information. A total of 187 indictments were filed during the reporting period against 366 persons, and 166 were confirmed, confirmation of five indictments was rejected, and for 41 indictments no decision on confirmation was made by the end of the reporting period. 

In the reporting period, in cases of the Prosecutor's Office of BiH, a total of 138 verdicts were rendered against 290 persons, of which 122 were convictions against 198 persons. Within this number, based on the work of prosecutors of the Prosecutor's Office of BiH, a total of 296 years of prison sentences were imposed.