Prosecutor's Office of TK corrected: Bribe was demanded, but funds were not paid by EP BiH but by RMU Đurđevik

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The Cantonal Prosecutor's Office of Tuzla Canton acknowledges the denial sent to the media and the public by the Public Enterprise Elektroprivreda BiH, regarding the press release of the Prosecutor's Office published on December 1, 2021, concerning the confirmed indictment against Abdulah Zukić and Samir Suljić.

In the Prosecutor's Office's statement, in the part describing the third count of the indictment, without any intention to harm the business reputation and credibility of PE Elektroprivreda BiH, thus unintentionally, it was stated that this public enterprise paid a security agency funds in the amount of 200,000 KM for unpaid receivables from RMU Đurđevik, and that from those funds the accused Suljić and Zukić took a bribe in the amount of 30,000 KM.

PE Elektroprivreda BiH did not pay any funds to this security agency; rather, those funds were paid from the account of RMU Đurđevik.

We remind you, the indictment charges the former minister in the Government of TK and current advisor to the Mayor of Živinice, Abdulah Zukić, with the extended criminal offense of receiving a reward or other form of benefit for influence peddling, and the acting director of RMU Đurđevik, Samir Suljić, with the extended criminal offense of receiving a gift or other form of benefit.

Acknowledging the denial of PE Elektroprivreda BiH, we state that in the third count of the indictment there is reasonable suspicion that Suljić and Zukić, from May to early July 2021, demanded from the owner and responsible person of a security company providing services to RMU Đurđevik, to which the mine owed 240,000 KM for services rendered, that they hand over a part of 15 percent of the total receivable in cash, creating the illusion that they would mediate and influence PE Elektroprivreda BiH to pay the aforementioned debt to this security agency.

Therefore, in June 2021, from the account of RMU Đurđevik, and not from the account of PE Elektroprivreda BiH, the first part of the debt in the amount of 200,000 KM was paid to this security agency, and payment of the remaining debt was agreed upon. On July 2 of this year, in the vehicle of the director of this security agency, a gift in cash in the amount of 30,000 KM was paid to Suljić, after which members of the State Investigation and Protection Agency of BiH (SIPA) deprived Suljić and Zukić of their liberty.