The Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor’s Office has filed charges against Vejo, former director of the Police Academy within the Federation Ministry of the Interior, on suspicion of unauthorised use of the official Golf vehicle from mid-2019 until the end of 2021.
The Municipal Court has confirmed the indictment, which accuses Vejo of the criminal offence of abuse of office, specifically relating to the unauthorised use of money, securities, or other movable property entrusted to him in his official capacity.
Journalists from the Centre for Investigative Reporting (CIN) revealed in October 2022 that the Police Academy’s white Golf left the city without permission at least 64 times over two and a half years.
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He drove on weekends and public holidays in around half of the cases, often late into the night. His most frequent routes were to Zenica, southwards across the country, and towards Travnik. He allegedly recorded inaccurate information in the Academy’s logs, stating that he only drove within Sarajevo on weekdays.
Even if that were the case, Vejo was not authorised to do so, as he lacked approval from the Federation Ministry of the Interior (FMUP) to operate the vehicle, and he was provided with a paid driver.
According to FMUP regulations, any journey exceeding 30 kilometres from headquarters or personal use of the company vehicle by Director Vejo required written authorisation from the minister, which he never sought.
In July and November 2019 alone, Vejo reportedly drove an average of more than 150 kilometres daily, recording these as city driving.
For example, one weekend in mid-November 2019, he was captured several times on the motorway between Zenica and Sarajevo. Yet, he justified 308 kilometres as city driving during working hours. Similar incidents reportedly occurred two to three times per month on average.
The misuse was uncovered through data from the “Autoceste Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine” (FBiH) — specifically the ACCTAG electronic toll collection devices installed on all FMUP vehicles. Tolls for Vejo’s unauthorised journeys were charged to the FBiH budget. Had he paid for the tolls himself, the cost would have amounted to 390 BAM.
Under the Criminal Code of the Federation of BiH, abuse of office is a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment ranging from six months to five years.
The Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor’s Office has proposed that, if found guilty, the accused be banned from holding the position of director of the Academy for one year following the final verdict. For the main trial, the case prosecutor has proposed that the court hear 10 witnesses and admit around 70 pieces of evidence.
