Bosnia’s intelligence chief arrested over fraud allegations

Osman Mehmedagic arrested on accusations of money laundering and abusing his office to forge university diplomas.

The prosecutor's office said it was investigating Osman Mehmedagic, right, for the criminal acts of abuse of office or authority, of forging the documents and money laundering [File: Fehim Demir/EPA]

The Bosnian police have arrested the country’s intelligence chief on accusations of money laundering and abusing his office to forge university diplomas.

Osman Mehmedagic, the head of the Intelligence-Security Agency (OSA), was arrested on Wednesday at the request of state prosecutors and police were acting accordingly, Sarajevo police spokesman Mirza Hadziabdic told Reuters news agency.

The prosecutor’s office said in a statement it was investigating Mehmedagic for the criminal acts of abuse of office or authority, of forging the documents and money laundering. It said more information would be available later on Wednesday.

Legal proceedings often take years in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where corruption is widespread and infiltrates all spheres of life, including the judiciary, education and health.

Last month, police arrested the director of the American University in Sarajevo and Tuzla and two associates for reportedly issuing a diploma illegally to Mehmedagic.

In October, Mehmedagic and an associate were charged with abuse of office for allegedly using agency resources to spy on a man who filed a criminal complaint against him but the court acquitted them of the charges. Prosecutors appealed.

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Source: News Agencies

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