Bosnia's presidency Croat member charged for corruption

Agence France Presse – English - March 2, 2005 Wednesday 6:38 PM GMT

SARAJEVO March 2 - Bosnian prosecutors on Wednesday charged the Croat member of the country's tripartite presidency, Dragan Covic, with abuse of power and bribing a court official to help a local company evade paying taxes.

Covic was indicted along with six other people, including constitutional court head Mato Tadic and four owners of the Lijanovic company, Bosnia's state court prosecutor for organized crime said in a statement.

Covic was accused for abuse of power in 2000, when he was finance minister of the Muslim-Croat Federation which along with the Serbs' Republika Srpska makes up Bosnia following the 1992-95 war.

"During that time Covic brought a series of decisions that had an impact on taxes paid by the Lijanovic company" whose owners are in an "organized criminal group together with Covic", the statement said.

The four owners of the Lijanovic meat products export and import company were accused of tax and customs evasion.

Both, Covic and owners of the Lijanovic firm bribed Tadic to use his influence within the constitutional court in its decisions regarding the company, the statement said.

"Tadic is accused of taking bribes and abuse of position for illegal influence on the constitutional court's decisions."

The court has to confirm the indictment within the next eight days, its spokeswoman Edita Pajovic told AFP.

It was not clear whether Covic could use his immunity to avoid trial while he is the presidency member, she added.

"It is not precisely defined by the law, and it is up to the court to decide on his immunity."

Covic was elected member of Bosnia's presidency in October 2002 for a four-year term.

Under Bosnia's constitution each of the Balkan country's three ethnic communities -- Croat, Muslim and Serb -- are represented by one member in the presidency. They rotate as chairman every eight months.
 



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