SARAJEVO/BANJA LUKA, May 23 (Hina) - Eight employees of the Republika Srpska Customs Administration have been suspended on Thursday after an inquiry found they participated in probably the largest organised chain of customs frauds
ever registered in Bosnia after the war.
SARAJEVO/BANJA LUKA, May 23 (Hina) - Eight employees of the
Republika Srpska Customs Administration have been suspended on
Thursday after an inquiry found they participated in probably the
largest organised chain of customs frauds ever registered in Bosnia
after the war. #L#
A spokeswoman for the Office of the High Representative, Alexandra
Stiglemayer, said that the decision to suspend the officers
followed a several-hour meeting of the Bosnian entity's Prime
Minister, Mladen Ivanic, Deputy High Representative Donald Hays
and officials of the European Union office for assistance in
customs and tax policies (CAFAO).
The office was established almost five years ago to help fight the
widespread crime and smuggling which costs Bosnia hundreds of
millions of convertible marks.
The investigation CAFAO agents have been carrying out for several
months has found that a group of customs officers in Republika
Srpska developed an entire chain of frauds which damaged the
government budget by 40 million marks in only one month this year.
According to CAFAO assessments, the corrupt customs officers
earned about 4.5 million marks this way.
(hina) lml sb