SIPA arrests four customs officers at Gradiska crossing

Four customs officers of the Indirect Taxation Authority of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ITA BiH), assigned to the Gradiska border crossing, were arrested on October 13 in an operation code-named Silence. Gradiska is one of the main crossings between BiH and Croatia. The arrests and searches took place in Republika Srpska, with the participation of its Interior Ministry.

What are the customs officers suspected of?

The State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) said the arrested officers are suspected of taking money to favor certain importers of goods into the customs territory of BiH. The offense is classified as accepting a gift or other form of benefit, under Article 217 of the BiH Criminal Code. None of the suspects has been named, and the type of goods involved has not been disclosed.

Where were the searches carried out, and who worked on the case?

Searches were carried out at four locations in the areas of Banja Luka, Prijedor and Srbac. SIPA officers conducted the operation in cooperation with the Republika Srpska Interior Ministry, under the supervision of a prosecutor from the Corruption Department of the BiH Prosecutor’s Office.

During the searches, items that could serve as evidence in further criminal proceedings were temporarily seized. SIPA did not specify what the items are.

What happens after the arrests?

The arrested officers are being taken to SIPA premises, where they will be processed and questioned as suspects. After that, within the legal deadline, they will be handed over to the BiH Prosecutor’s Office. The next steps are up to the prosecutor, and the BiH Prosecutor’s Office told the media that the prosecutor alone will decide on them:

“The prosecutor will decide on further measures and actions regarding the suspects within the legal deadline.”

Until the prosecutor decides, this is solely a matter of suspicion, and guilt has not been established.

Was the Brod crossing also a target?

Early media reports said officers from two crossings, Brod and Gradiska, were targeted. Later confirmations from the BiH Prosecutor’s Office mention only Gradiska, so this article refers only to that crossing.

The investigation concerns suspected corrupt conduct by customs officers during the import of goods into BiH, specifically the alleged taking of money to favor parties in customs procedures. The names of the suspects and the items seized in the searches have not been made public.