SARAJEVO, Nov 22 (Hina) - Teams investigating the business of the Mostar-based Hercegovacka Banka have so far established that at least DM27 million of tax money has been embezzled through the bank, while the final amount could exceed
DM100 million. According to information from the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina (OHR), a special anti-corruption team has established that most tax frauds were committed by the Croherc company from Mostar, and that the key element in the embezzlement scandal was the Monitor company, which was headed for years by Ljubo Cesic Rojs, a deputy in the Croatian parliament. Monitor and the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) logistics centre in Grude, which was headed for years by a former president of the country's Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ BiH), Ante Jelavic, established companies like Croherc, which were used for illegal operations, th
SARAJEVO, Nov 22 (Hina) - Teams investigating the business of the
Mostar-based Hercegovacka Banka have so far established that at
least DM27 million of tax money has been embezzled through the bank,
while the final amount could exceed DM100 million.
According to information from the Office of the High Representative
in Bosnia-Herzegovina (OHR), a special anti-corruption team has
established that most tax frauds were committed by the Croherc
company from Mostar, and that the key element in the embezzlement
scandal was the Monitor company, which was headed for years by Ljubo
Cesic Rojs, a deputy in the Croatian parliament.
Monitor and the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) logistics centre in
Grude, which was headed for years by a former president of the
country's Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ BiH), Ante Jelavic,
established companies like Croherc, which were used for illegal
operations, the OHR claims.
Such companies were "Hercegovina gradnja", "Hercegovina
osiguranje", "CroBiH invest" and "Eronet".
Sources at the OHR claim they still have no concrete evidence
against Cesic and Jelavic but add the investigation will continue
until all details of the illegal transactions are established.
OHR officials tried to explain the operation of companies from the
so-called "Hercegovina holding", citing the example of "Croherc".
This company was established exclusively for the sale of oil for
motor vehicles. However, numerous petrol stations in Bosnia-
Herzegovina sold heating oil regularly as diesel oil, thus avoiding
the payment of high taxes.
This is organised crime, which was aimed at financing the third
entity, an unnamed OHR official said, adding the investigation into
the Hercegovacka Banka was the biggest such case opened in Bosnia.
(hina) sb rml