SARAJEVO, Feb 19 (Hina) - The head of the police department in Grude, southern Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ivan Soldo, and five other police officers have lost their work licences after it was established that they obstructed an investigation
into incidents connected with a probe into the operation of Hercegovacka Banka. Stefo Lehmann, spokesman for the UN Mission in the country, said in Sarajevo on Tuesday Soldo and his associates were responsible not only for tolerating violence which occurred in Grude in April 2001 but for intentionally obstructing an investigation into the incidents. International representatives and investigators with the police forces and the Finance Ministry of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina on April 6 tried to carry out an investigation into the operation of the Hercegovacka Banka office in Grude. The investigators were prevented by a crowd of 100-150 protesters who took them hostage
SARAJEVO, Feb 19 (Hina) - The head of the police department in
Grude, southern Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ivan Soldo, and five other
police officers have lost their work licences after it was
established that they obstructed an investigation into incidents
connected with a probe into the operation of Hercegovacka Banka.
Stefo Lehmann, spokesman for the UN Mission in the country, said in
Sarajevo on Tuesday Soldo and his associates were responsible not
only for tolerating violence which occurred in Grude in April 2001
but for intentionally obstructing an investigation into the
incidents.
International representatives and investigators with the police
forces and the Finance Ministry of the Federation of Bosnia-
Herzegovina on April 6 tried to carry out an investigation into the
operation of the Hercegovacka Banka office in Grude.
The investigators were prevented by a crowd of 100-150 protesters
who took them hostage and threatened to kill them, while the police
did nothing to protect them, and later failed to carry out an
appropriate investigation, Lehmann said.
Having checked up the performance and past of all BH police
officers, the International Police Task Force (IPTF) Commissioner
for Bosnia-Herzegovina, Vincent Cuorderoy, also decided to dismiss
three Bosnian Serb police officers who were found to have worked as
guards and investigators in prison camps for non-Serbs in Foca and
Brcko during the war.
Evidence on their war past have been sent to the International
Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) as well, the UN
Mission spokesman said.
(hina) sb rml