In an interview for Dnevni avaz, the Project Leader of EU Support to Law Enforcement in BiH, Karl Lesjak, talked about the importance of identifiing criminal leaders.

It is necessary to seize illegally acquired property – We want to establish efficient police capacities and aim at main organisers of crime.

Karl Lesjak is a 26 year veteran of the Austrian National Police (ANP) joining the police force in 1986, and just prior to being seconded to INTERPOL in 2003, he served as the Director of the Narcotics and Organised Crime Department and Federal Drug Coordinator in the ANP. In 2006, he was appointed Assistant Director of the Crisis and Major Events, and he is a member of numerous law enforcement associations. As Project Leader for a two year project entitled EU Support to Law Enforcement in BiH, he will aim to transfer his skills and knowledge from the fields related to drugs, money laundering, and organised crime to BiH police agencies. In an exclusive interview for Dnevni avaz, he talks about how corruption in BiH should be tackled, his expectations, and potential obstacles in implementing this project.

Corruption in BiH is present in every segment of society. Organised crime and illegally acquired property are issues that need to be urgently resolved. Croatia arrested its tycoons and criminals, Serbia did the same as well. Is it now BiH turn to do the same?

I cannot say much about any concrete cases. But I believe that BiH law enforcement agencies are already achieving great results in the fight against organised crime. We have to be aware that our colleagues in BiH know their strengths, but also their weaknesses. That is why it is necessary to engage both domestic and foreign experts. It is important to identify the true targets of criminals, their leaders, and seize illegal property and bring them to justice.

What made you decide to assist our country in developing efficient system in the fight against crime and corruption?

First of all, this project is very important for the Delegation of the EU to BiH, but also for EU Member States. That’s cooperation between different police agencies at all levels and BiH Prosecutor’s Office. The programme was drafted as a balance between the needs of police in BiH and EU standards. We want to establish efficient police capacities and will target the main leaders of organised crime.

Hypothetically, which issues, meaning obstacles, do you think you will encounter?

All law enforcement agencies have excellent ideas, but what we are trying to do is to co-ordinate and to combine them so they can make a step forward in the sense of co-operation between police and prosecutors’ offices at all four levels. There is room here for further co-operation.

Assistance of the EU and BiH Ministry of Security

“From this point of view, I believe it will be successful. Police agencies have the capacity for reaching concrete and expected results, so we can eventually say that we have efficient actions in the fight against organised crime, and that we have efficient border protection system, especially after 1 July when BiH will be on outer border of the EU. I have to underline that this project would not be here without the assistance of EU and BiH Ministry of Security. We are working together with our BiH colleagues. We are not imposing anything as they hold the steering wheel, which is logical, because they know where the ‘hotspots’ are better than we do, as well as what needs to be improved” he said.