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View Full Version : Bosnia: 57 charged in election fraud case



Baluarte
05-11-2013, 08:57 AM
SARAJEVO -- The Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina (FBiH) police have filed criminal charges against 57 persons suspected of organized crime and election fraud.

The FBiH is the Muslim (Bosniak)-Croat entity of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The entity's Interior Affairs Ministry Directorate on Friday confirmed the news, but did not name the suspects.

However, Croatian news agency Hina is reporting that the case is likely related to the 2010 vote-buying, "which was led by the People's Party Work for Betterment (NSRzB)," headed by ethnic Croat brothers Ivanković-Lijanović.

The media also reported that the first-accused is Jerko Ivanković-Lijanović, vice-president of the FBiH and the entity's minister of agriculture.

The police did not name the chief suspect, but said only that he is believed to have formed "an organized crime group made up of 56 persons."

The group's activities are believed to have incurred damages of EUR 1.5 million to the entity's budget, while bribing voters in the general election held in 2010.

The police statement said that the leader of the group used his position to change legislation, and in this way enable for use of funds set aside for agriculture incentives "without any particular checks in place."

The one-time monetary assistance was thus given to persons who submitted invalid requests. Some members of the criminal group promised money to potential voters, instructing them how to vote, and giving them money to turn out on election day.

Media reports previously said that the NSRzB party paid their voters 100 convertible Bosnian marks (some EUR 50), while some reports accused Jerko Ivanković-Lijanović of giving agricultural incentives "solely to his party's sympathizers."