https://balkaninsight.com/2025/01/24/bosnia-extends-ex-security-ministers-detention-over-corruption-charges/

The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday extended detention for former state-level Security Minister Nenad Nesic and two other suspects by another two months.

Nesic, Mladen Lucic and Milan Dakic were arrested with four others on December 26 on charges of corruption, bribe-taking, money laundering and abuse of the office.

At Thursday’s detention hearing, the Prosecutor’s Office sought extension of the detention, citing two cases of attempted witness tampering. It said one of the witnesses received a phone call ahead of his testimony with a warning to “pay attention to what he says”.

Nesic’s lawyer, Senka Nozica, disputed the need for an extension “as there is witness tampering despite her client being in jail”.

Nesic and the others were arrested on suspicion of corrupt activities during his tenure as a director of the public road company in Bosnia’s mainly Serb Republika Srpska entity. He is suspected of exerting pressure on road maintenance companies between 2016 and 2020 to do business with a company named Legend.

It is alleged that these companies were compelled to purchase materials at prices far higher than their market value. The director of Legend, Mladen Lucic, brother of Bosnia’s former human rights minister, Milos Lucic, was arrested together with Nesic.

The prosecution alleges that over four years Nesic took more than million Bosnian marks, or over 500,000 euros, in bribes. It added that the investigation into Nesic was extended on January 21 after receiving new evidence.

While awaiting the court’s decision, Nesic announced on Facebook late on Thursday that he would resign as minister, for “moral reasons.”

“I love you Republika Srpska and I will never stop fighting for you,” his post said. 

The House of Representatives of the state-level parliament meanwhile voted in favour of his dismissal. However, this needs to be confirmed by parliament’s second chamber, the House of Peoples.

Nesic’s formal resignation letter reached the Council of Ministers on Friday, where he said that he resigned “in order not to block the council’s work,” adding that he will prove his innocence in court.