A decision to impose sanctions against the former director of Bosnia-Herzegovina's intelligence and security agency and two other individuals associated with the Balkan country was made after a lengthy and thorough investigation, a U.S. official said on March 16.
The United States made the decision based on the probe and evidence collected by many people, said James O'Brien, head of the State Department's sanction coordination office.
O’Brien referred to the blacklisting on March 15 of Osman Mehmedagic, former head of the Intelligence Security Agency (OSA); Dragan Stankovic, identified by the United States as the director of the Republika Srpska agency responsible for real estate law; and Edin Gacanin, an alleged drug trafficker and money launderer.
Speaking to reporters in Sarajevo, O'Brien said the United States would continue to work closely with its European partners to achieve the necessary reforms in Bosnia.
"When we announce sanctions like these, the reactions we see from people are: 'Finally, we knew it too,'" he said, adding that U.S. sanctions alone are not enough to change the situation in Bosnia.
"It is up to the citizens, who should say that they do not want their country to be run by people like this," said O'Brien.
The U.S. official referred specifically to the violation of the constitution in the Republika Srpska entity, where legislation has been passed allowing the transfer of state property to that entity. O'Brien said no legitimate businessmen would ever buy real estate that had a "cloud hanging over the property title."
Bosnians should look at who would buy such a property and decide if they want to live in a country ruled by people who do business this way, he said.
When asked by RFE/RL whether Washington has any other mechanisms to address corruption in Bosnia, O'Brien said: "We will use all the tools we have, and we will not stop. I will admit, sometimes we focus on something, and then we move on. But that is not the case here."
He noted that the United States has imposed several packages of sanctions related to the use of Bosnian public resources for personal interest.