BHRT asks legal and state institutions to stop tomorrow's auction and sale of state property, and Forto asks the Council of Ministers of BiH

(Patria) - For Wednesday, September 25, 2024, at the Municipal Court in Sarajevo, the sale of BHRT properties has been scheduled based on a lawsuit by the EBU for a debt that with interest amounts to 16 million KM.

According to the court expert's assessment, the value of BHRT's assets (land and buildings) amounts to approximately 160 million KM.

The largest part of the assets "going under the hammer" is registered as state property, which was temporarily exempted from legal transactions by a decision of the High Representative. Despite this fact, the Municipal Court ordered the sale of the property through public auction.

"This act not only jeopardizes state property but could also be a prelude to the disappearance of BHRT as a public RTV service, which by law covers the entire Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Management Board appeals to judicial and state institutions to find a legal way to postpone the auction and find a solution for BHRT's debt to the EBU, thus preventing the destruction of both state and BHRT property. Due to unresolved financing, BHRT is unable to settle its obligation to the EBU from its own revenues," the statement said.

The Minister of Communications and Transport in the Council of Ministers of BiH, Edin Forto, commented on the announced sale of BHRT property due to a debt of 16 million marks to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

"They are the ones who did it. I think it is pointless to sell so much property because of such a debt. They will seek a postponement at tomorrow's hearing," Forto said.

He said that his proposal for resolving this debt will be on the agenda of the next session of the Council of Ministers of BiH.

"At the Council of Ministers, I will seek the adoption of a conclusion to resolve this debt. The cause of all this is that RTRS left the joint collection system, and that is why this debt has accumulated. This is a debt of all public broadcasters in BiH, not just BHRT," Forto added.