US sanctions former Bosnian security chief

The US government on Wednesday accused the former head of Bosnia’s state security agency of abusing state resources to benefit his political party and collaborating with criminal networks to enrich himself.

The Treasury Department alleged that Osman Mehmedjik abused his position to instruct a state-owned telecommunications company to collect cellular activity of politicians not affiliated with the SDA party.

The Treasury said in a statement that Mehmedjik “used his position, threats and connections to influence candidates from the coalition of parties that defeated his party in the general election last October” to support the SDA during coalition talks. Is”.

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“There is also credible information that Mehmedjic has collaborated with criminal networks to enrich himself and his political party,” the statement said.

Following the sanctions announcement, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that Mehmedjic’s crimes “reflected a larger pattern of behavior” by ethnic nationalist political parties in Bosnia, including the SDA, which had “undermined key justice and security sector institutions”. weapons to misuse “resources in support of political goals and to protect the criminal organizations to which they are associated.”

The US on Wednesday imposed sanctions on Bosnian security chief Osman Mehmedjik. (Matteo Nardone / Pacific Press / LightRocket via Getty Images)

Mehmedjik was replaced as head of the State Security Agency last month after more than 7 years in the post.

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Also on Wednesday, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Edin Gačanin, who was born in Bosnia but raised in the Netherlands, accusing him of being “one of the world’s most prolific drug traffickers.”

The Treasury said that Gačanin was the leader of the Tito and Dino cartel, which includes “members of his family and his friends” from Bosnia, and is also involved in money laundering.

It added that the sanctions against Gakanin were closely coordinated with the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the European Union’s Europol agency, and the governments of the Netherlands, France and Belgium.

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Any property or interest in the United States belonging to Sanctioned Persons is blocked and must be reported.