Dodik condemns forged document scandal

Republic of Srpska (RS) Prime Minister Milorad Dodik says that the recent scandal where documents were falsified with fake names is unacceptable. Officials from the Bosnian Investigation and Protection Agency (SIP) arrested three suspects yesterday, while the Prosecutor’s Office has interviewed two senior RS Interior Ministry officials. Dodik condemns forged document scandal Although abuse of position had been proven in this instance, Dodik condemned the manner in which the operation had been carried out. Among those arrested were Bjeljina Police Chief Goran Djelmic and Tomo Macar, deputy police chief in Janje near Bjeljina. Dragan Knezevic, a former employee at the Personal Documents Issuance Center, was also taken into custody. Dragi Milosevic and Slobodan Nikic, senior officials in the RS Interior Ministry, were also taken in for questioning. Prosecution spokesman Boris Grubesic confirmed that they were all under investigation for abuse of position by issuing forged personal documents. “This latest operation, which was part of an investigation relating to abuses of the document issuance system, laid a special emphasis on abuses that could be linked to helping hide people indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia,” he said. The suspects are believed to belong to a group of corrupt officials and their accomplices, who enabled a large number of people to obtain original Bosnian personal documentation bearing fake names. The group includes several dozen people known to have links with the Serbian criminal underground. These documents have an estimated value of around EUR 2,000. Even though there is ample evidence to corroborate the existence of foul play, Dodik condemned the operation, stating that it was unacceptable for SIP personnel to be investigating the RS police. “This is all about showing the Republic of Srpska the famous yarn that SIP can do what it wants. All that matters is that you have a foreign prosecutor who’ll give you a warrant to help you get in wherever you want,” Dodik said. This scandal, however, has seriously undermined the credibility of the Bosnian security system and document issuance procedures, and could well lead to serious delays in getting the country on to the Schengen visa white list. Milorad Dodik (FoNet, archive)

Dodik condemns forged document scandal

Although abuse of position had been proven in this instance, Dodik condemned the manner in which the operation had been carried out.

Among those arrested were Bjeljina Police Chief Goran Đelmić and Tomo Mačar, deputy police chief in Janje near Bjeljina. Dragan Knežević, a former employee at the Personal Documents Issuance Center, was also taken into custody.

Dragi Milošević and Slobodan Nikić, senior officials in the RS Interior Ministry, were also taken in for questioning.

Prosecution spokesman Boris Grubešić confirmed that they were all under investigation for abuse of position by issuing forged personal documents.

“This latest operation, which was part of an investigation relating to abuses of the document issuance system, laid a special emphasis on abuses that could be linked to helping hide people indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia,” he said.

The suspects are believed to belong to a group of corrupt officials and their accomplices, who enabled a large number of people to obtain original Bosnian personal documentation bearing fake names.

The group includes several dozen people known to have links with the Serbian criminal underground. These documents have an estimated value of around EUR 2,000.

Even though there is ample evidence to corroborate the existence of foul play, Dodik condemned the operation, stating that it was unacceptable for SIP personnel to be investigating the RS police.

“This is all about showing the Republic of Srpska the famous yarn that SIP can do what it wants. All that matters is that you have a foreign prosecutor who’ll give you a warrant to help you get in wherever you want,” Dodik said.

This scandal, however, has seriously undermined the credibility of the Bosnian security system and document issuance procedures, and could well lead to serious delays in getting the country on to the Schengen visa white list.