In the shadow of the verdict against the President of the Republic of Srpska, Milorad Dodik, Martin De Luca, a former U.S. federal prosecutor, has arrived in Bosnia and Herzegovina, specifically in Banja Luka.
Speaking to the media in the city yesterday, he announced that an investigation has begun in Bosnia and Herzegovina into the spending of funds through the USAID organization. Initial findings indicate that in the past four years, $402 million was spent, with $250 million unaccounted for.
“In the past four years, $402 million has been allocated to Bosnia and Herzegovina through various programs. Out of that, $150 million can be accounted for, while around $250 million remains a mystery. This is American taxpayers’ money,” De Luca stated, as reported by Klix.ba.
He added that his team is already investigating USAID’s operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina and that similar spending patterns have been observed worldwide, raising suspicions of corruption.
“President Trump is very determined to investigate and examine everything that has happened as soon as possible. There are no project descriptions, and it is unclear where $250 million went in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” he said, adding that the most challenging part is obtaining evidence and expressing gratitude to local authorities for their cooperation.
Advises Clients Under U.S. Sanctions
It has not been disclosed whether De Luca visited Sarajevo, where USAID’s headquarters for Bosnia and Herzegovina is located. He was in Banja Luka, in government offices that have long spoken openly against USAID, despite Republic of Srpska President Milorad Dodik publicly thanking the organization for its financial aid just two years ago.
Interestingly, Martin De Luca frequently advises clients who are under U.S. sanctions. Klix.ba notes that half of the leadership of the Republika Srpska entity is under U.S. or British sanctions.
“He regularly assists clients in navigating international sanctions regimes, advocating before agencies such as the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.K.’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, and the European Union,” his biography states.
Earlier in his career, Martin De Luca served as a prosecutor in the U.S. Department of Justice, as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, and as an Assistant District Attorney in the New York District Attorney’s Office.
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He prosecuted cases involving corruption, complex fraud, money laundering, tax evasion, organized crime, terrorism financing, and international drug trafficking. These cases often required cooperation with the FBI, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. intelligence agencies, and foreign law enforcement partners, providing him with expertise in managing crises that span multiple jurisdictions and involve numerous actors.
De Luca was also the attorney for Mark Fogel, who was released on February 11 this year. Fogel was arrested in Russia in 2022 and sentenced to 14 years in prison for alleged drug smuggling. The American teacher was detained in August 2021 at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport with 17 grams of cannabis, which he claimed he used for medical purposes.
This release was described as a “historic moment” by American lawyers De Luca and Andrew Smith.
“Mark Fogel’s release is historic, long overdue, and a testament to the power of strong leadership. After years of bureaucratic inaction, including repeated refusals to designate Mark as unlawfully detained, President Trump secured his release in just a few weeks, wasting no time in taking decisive action to bring him home,” they stated.
Martin De Luca is also the attorney for “Trump Media Group” and the video platform “Rumble.” He recently challenged the blocking of the social network in Brazil, which was ordered in January this year by a minister of Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court.
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Source: Blic, Foto: Printscreen YouTube