COLUMBUS — Six Serbian delegates participating in the Open World Program will spend November 10th-17th, 2012 in the Columbus area examining asset forfeiture and corruption in the United States, focusing specifically on the laws and procedures that encompass the enforcement of the law. Serbia is a country with a rich cultural heritage and fascinating history. It is located in Southeastern Europe, bordering countries such as Romania and Hungary. This delegation will focus on local agencies and organizations that pertain to criminal justice and law enforcement, as well as the enforcement of the rule of law. The Columbus International Program will host the delegation in partnership with the Council of International Programs, USA who administers various programs on behalf of Open World. Managed by the independent Open World Leadership Center under Congressional mandate, Open World is designed to enhance understanding and cooperation between the United States and Eastern European countries by developing a network of leaders who have gained significant, firsthand exposure to America’s process of small business development and implementation of business legislation. The Open World Leadership Center has awarded this grant to The Council of International Programs USA, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio to administer this and similar exchanges in 2012 and beyond. The Columbus International Program is an affiliate of CIP USA which was founded nearly 50 years ago by Henry Ollendorf. Mr. Ollendorf was a refugee from Germany living in Cleveland Ohio who felt the atrocities of World War II should never be repeated. Since its founding, CIP USA has hosted thousands of international professionals and training programs.
On Tuesday November 13th, the delegation will be staying at Bristol Village of Waverly, Ohio. Bristol Village is a faith-based, non-denominational continuing care retirement community is devoted to helping seniors live active, positive lives to their fullest. Their philosophy and staff are oriented toward creating an encouraging, satisfying and stimulating senior living environment that enhances both residents and the community at large.
During their time in Ohio, the delegates will also meet with officials and representatives from The U.S. Marshalls, The Department of Justice, The Ohio Supreme Court, the Scioto County Courthouse, The Bureau of Criminal Investigation, The Office of the Ohio Inspector General, The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, and the law firm of Kegler Brown, Hill & Ritter.
The visiting delegates are: Vladimir Bacic, Chief Police Inspector, Department for Planning and Coordination of Financial Investigations; Ivan Duzlevski, Senior Assistant Prosecutor, Office of the War Crimes Prosecutor; Dejan Kovacevic, Police Official at the Unit for Financial Investigations in the Department for Planning and Coordination of Financial Investigations; Goran Mladenovic, Assistant Prosecutor/Public Prosecutor Advisor, Prosecutor’s Office for Struggle with Organized Crime; Tatjana Vasiljevic-Veljkovic, Assistant Prosecutor, Higher Public Prosecutor’s office in Belgrade; and Milan Cupic, Assistant, Subjects of Business finance and Financial restructuring of enterprises. Delegates will be housed with local families in order to experience American family life. They will also take part in several cultural and community activities, visit popular locales in the area, and sample restaurants. These activities are designed to expose participants to the wide array of American culture and pastimes. The U.S. Congress established Open World in 1999 and expanded the program in 2003 to all post-Soviet states. Thanks to Open World, some 14,000 current and future Eurasian leaders have experienced American civil society and have been exposed to new ideas and practices that they can adapt for use in their own work. Open World also promotes partnerships and continued communications between delegates and their American hosts and professional counterparts. Open World currently operates exchanges for political and civic leaders from Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.
For more information, please contact Mark Poeppelman, Executive Director of the Columbus International Program at 614-425-2268 or 221-0034 or Maura Shelden, Open World Public Affairs Officer at 202-707-6197. For more information on Open World, please visit http://www.openworld.gov.
