Bosnia Seeks Detention For Gibraltar Gang Suspects

Bosnia's state prosecutor has demanded a month's detention for nine people arrested on suspicion on gaining over 5 million euro from money laundering, evading taxes and fictional, falsified agreements.

The nine are Stipe Prlic, director of Eronet, one of the country's three largest telecom firms, Zoran Bakula, the former director of the company Neven, Belma and Sanjin Kulenovic, from the marketing agency SV-RSA, Senad Zaimovic, of Ujedinjeni Mediji, Ejub Kucuk, from the Mita group, Lajla Torlak, of Pink BH television and Darko Aleksic, of ATV from Banja Luka.

Kucuk was not detained since he was out of the country at the time but he returned and turned himself in to the State Investigative and Protection Agency, SIPA, on Thursday.

Boris Grubesic, spokesman for the Bosnian Prosecutor, said the institution sought a month-long detention for the suspects.

"At liberty, they could hinder the investigation, cover up evidence or influence witnesses or accomplices," Grubesic explained.

An investigation into Eronet and other companies led to suspicions of money laundering and other illegal activities in off-shore destinations, such as Gibraltar, SIPA said earlier.

The group is believed to have illegally gained over 5 million euro from falsified agreements and invoices. "This money was put into bank accounts of companies based off shore and abroad," Kristina Jozic of SIPA said.

"Part of the money was kept on accounts of off-shore companies whil part was transferred to the accounts of suspected persons abroad and was used to buy costly real estate abroad," she added.

This case was investigated for some years by the Slovenian and Croatian authorities.