The Republic of Srpska

On 31 January and 1 February 2016, the members of the Unit for countering organized crime of the Republic of Srpska Ministry of the Interior, monitored and controlled by the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, implemented the investigation whose code name is 'Kolt'. The investigation confirmed that an M.R. (born in 1979) from Banja Luka, an S.S. (born in 1968) from Banja Luka, a J.S. (born in 1986) from Gradiška, a Lj.S. (born in 1981) from Novi Grad and a D.M. (born in 1950) from Bijeljina, as members of an organized criminal group during 2015, on the territory of the Republic of Srpska, performed criminal offences of 'Organized crime', Article 250 of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina related to the criminal offence of 'Tax evasion' Article 210 of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the criminal offence of 'Abusing powers in business', Article 263 of the Republic of Srpska Criminal Code, and the criminal offence of 'Defrauding buyers', Article 282 of the Republic of Srpska Criminal Code. The suspects committed the criminal offences in 2015, when M.R. and S.S. used a company to make orders, organize transport, get customs clearance, store, distribute and sell base oils imported from the Republic of Italy and the Republic of Serbia. The third suspect, J.S. provided a fictitious company in order to import base oil, which was then packed and sold on petrol stations in the following towns: Kozarac, Modriča, Zenica, Zvornik, and Milići. The fourth suspect, Lj.S. used another company to provide transport services to the organizers of this crime by transporting the imported oil from the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Italy to Bosnia and Herzegovina. After that, by the order of the organizer, the person transported base oil with all the necessary documentation, which was forged, to petrol stations, where the base oil was sold as euro diesel. The fifth suspect, D.M., bought base oil on several occasions in 2015, and then sold it on its petrol stations in Zvornik and Milići as euro diesel. Today and yesterday, members of the Unit for countering organized crime, Crime police administration of the Republic of Srpska Ministry of the Interior, monitored and controlled by the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in cooperation with PSC Prijedor, PSC Doboj, PSC Banja Luka and PSC Bijeljina, arrested 13 persons. Searches of several residential and business buildings that belong to the suspects were performed, and documents and computer equipment were seized. Indirect taxation administration and Inspectorate of the Republic of Srpska were informed about these activities, so they can undertake measures and actions in their competence regarding the six petrol stations, where it was confirmed that base oil was sold