Bečarević: Party for BiH expelled from government when it warned about corruption, Mešić should not have been appointed director of KUIP

(Patria) - The Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina wishes to inform the public that the Sarajevo Canton Government, led by Prime Minister Nihad Uk, was fully aware of the proceedings conducted by the Office for the Fight against Corruption and Quality Management of the Sarajevo Canton (hereinafter: the Office) against the director of the Cantonal Administration for Inspection Affairs.

Namely, the Sarajevo Canton Government extended the acting director mandate of the director of the Cantonal Administration for Inspection Affairs, Adis Mešić, on four occasions, even though after the second acting appointment it received a letter from the director of the Office stating that the acting director, Mr. Mešić, had falsified a certificate of work experience upon employment in the cantonal inspection service.

To reiterate, the letter from the director of the Office, Mr. Kafedžić, addressed to Prime Minister Uk, was not an obstacle to appointing Mr. Mešić to an acting mandate, nor was it an obstacle to appointing him to a four-year mandate as director of the inspection service.

According to the Office's position, the director of the Cantonal Administration for Inspection Affairs could not have been employed in the inspection service, not even as an inspector, but this was not the slightest obstacle for the Sarajevo Canton Government to appoint him, by letter and number, even four (4) times to an acting mandate of 3 months each, and finally to a full four-year mandate as director of one of the most significant institutions in the Sarajevo Canton, the Cantonal Administration for Inspection Affairs. Thus, the first inspector of the Sarajevo Canton.

The Sarajevo Canton Government was burdened in 2023 by these appointments to the acting mandate of Mr. Mešić, because proceedings are also being conducted in the Cantonal Prosecutor's Office regarding these appointments, and certain ministers have already given statements to the police.

The participation of the Party for BiH in the Sarajevo Canton Government was also called into question by this example of corrupt activity, because I, as the then minister, did not wish to vote for these appointments to the acting mandate. The position was to respect the letter from the Office, not a political dictate.

During the last appointment to the acting mandate, the then Sarajevo Canton Government became divided, and it remained unclear how certain ministers voted and whether there were even enough votes for this appointment to the acting mandate of the director.

At the same time, the Sarajevo Canton Government, which was appointed without the Party for BiH, decided, although it was aware of all the proceedings being conducted against Director Mešić, to nonetheless appoint Mešić to the position of director of the Cantonal Administration for Inspection Affairs. This, indeed, is what the “fight” against corruption looks like in the Sarajevo Canton, against which the Party for BiH raised its voice and was immediately expelled from power. To make the tragedy even greater, at least two more directors/executive directors have falsified certificates of work experience, and they are still directors. We also spoke about this, but to no avail.

Finally, on this occasion, we wish to extend sincere congratulations to the Office for the Fight against Corruption for bringing this proceeding to a conclusion and for everything now being documented and adjudicated regarding what we warned about as a Party and as former members of the Sarajevo Canton Government.

At the same time, we publicly pose the question: is any document signed by Mr. Mešić lawful, and can proceedings now be initiated to invalidate all such documents, because neither the employment nor the appointments to acting mandates, nor the 4-year mandate of the appointed director were lawful.

And just as Prime Minister Uk declared with full mouth during a political forum in Brussels 2-3 months ago, "The Sarajevo Canton is a champion when it comes to the fight against corruption." If it weren't tragic (unlawful, unethical, etc.), it would be laughable, stated Almir Bečarević, President of the Cantonal Council of the Party for BiH and former minister in the Sarajevo Canton Government.