Still no seizing of property from known criminals

Experts say there can be no progress in the fight against organized crimes without seizing their property. The last government announced that it would be taking away the property of all organized crime members who gained their assets through criminal activity. Still no seizing of property from known criminals Former chief of the MUP Financial Crime Department Josip Bogic warned that there will be no significant progress in the fight against all forms of crime until the state starts confiscating illegally earned property and assets. The law for taking property from members of organized crime groups was announced four months ago, and the proposal is still stuck in parliamentary procedures. Bogic said that the prosecution and courts will have a problem presenting confirmed ties between crimes and the buying of property, because it takes a lot of time out of the process. “Unfortunately, such behavior is still held in the police, where in most cases a criminal investigation is led and the form of criminal activity is confirmed. Those people who are involved in these activities are arrested and handed over to the investigative judge,” Bogic said. “And this second part, which is concerned with assets that were earned through crime – there are still no financial investigations for confirmation that they were gained through crime, nor is that property frozen during the process and then taken away later,” he said. Bogic said that the police and prosecution should have specially trained people for financial investigations, and not have it handled by the sector for financial crime, as is the case now. “The police does not have enough people who can be involved with this, and I think that there are not enough trained prosecutors with the prosecution,” Bogic asserted. “You cannot have one headquarters for the fight against organized crime in Belgrade, meant to cover the entire territory of Serbia,” he said. “While I was in the service, I insisted that a sector be established in every major city for police and the prosecution,” he said. Bogic reminded that the property of those involved in organized crime is confiscated in all developed countries around the world. He said that the laws should be changed in Serbia so that the ties between a crime and property which the suspect earned through crime can be traced more easily.

Still no seizing of property from known criminals

Former chief of the MUP Financial Crime Department Josip Bogić warned that there will be no significant progress in the fight against all forms of crime until the state starts confiscating illegally earned property and assets.

The law for taking property from members of organized crime groups was announced four months ago, and the proposal is still stuck in parliamentary procedures.

Bogić said that the prosecution and courts will have a problem presenting confirmed ties between crimes and the buying of property, because it takes a lot of time out of the process.

“Unfortunately, such behavior is still held in the police, where in most cases a criminal investigation is led and the form of criminal activity is confirmed. Those people who are involved in these activities are arrested and handed over to the investigative judge,” Bogić said.

“And this second part, which is concerned with assets that were earned through crime – there are still no financial investigations for confirmation that they were gained through crime, nor is that property frozen during the process and then taken away later,” he said.

Bogić said that the police and prosecution should have specially trained people for financial investigations, and not have it handled by the sector for financial crime, as is the case now.

“The police does not have enough people who can be involved with this, and I think that there are not enough trained prosecutors with the prosecution,” Bogić asserted.

“You cannot have one headquarters for the fight against organized crime in Belgrade, meant to cover the entire territory of Serbia,” he said.

“While I was in the service, I insisted that a sector be established in every major city for police and the prosecution,” he said.

Bogić reminded that the property of those involved in organized crime is confiscated in all developed countries around the world.

He said that the laws should be changed in Serbia so that the ties between a crime and property which the suspect earned through crime can be traced more easily.