Veterans Argue in Goražde, Prosecutors May Review Association's Operations

By Ernad Metaj

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The Assembly of the Association of Demobilized Veterans of BPK Goražde raised questions about the legality of the bodies' work and the method of electing delegates, who increasingly do not come from the former brigades that defended this area. Assembly delegate and former member of the Management Board, Nezir Korda, claimed that the board has not met for 23 months, whereas it was supposed to meet at least once a month.

-    I don't want to be a member of a one-man society and I am leaving this Assembly because it is not right for me to vote against myself, said Korda.

Following him, six more delegates left the Assembly. The Assembly operated on the edge of a quorum because 15 other delegates did not respond to the session's invitation. Opponents of the election of the new-old president, Nesib Hodo, believe that the procedure for delegating candidates to the Assembly was not carried out correctly and that the minutes supporting the adherence to the procedure do not reflect the actual events on the ground.

As an example, the Management Board of the branch in Novo Goražde was cited, which, according to Korda's claims, has not been functioning for 14 years. Other present delegates from Novo Goražde did not deny this but remained at the session.

-    It is not right that we only have four delegates from the 43rd Drina Brigade. Today, only I am here, and the election method is not in accordance with the Statute. If we continue like this, we will be left without delegates from this brigade, and we already have none from the Višegrad, Rogatica brigades, and after this session, it is questionable what is happening with the representatives of the 31st Drina Brigade, said Remzija Subašić, commissioner of the 43rd Drina Brigade and member of the Management Board.

Regardless of these statements, Subašić voted for the election of the new leadership. The president of the Demobilized Veterans Association denied the allegations against him to Patria.

-    We have minutes from each committee; we cannot know if everything happened that way on the ground, said Hodo.

He rejects accusations that the Management Board did not work, citing the fight for the adoption of the law regulating veteran benefits in BPK Goražde as evidence. What is striking is that at today's Assembly session, the work plan for the year that is ending was adopted. During the year, all veteran associations received a conclusion from the Government of BPK Goražde on the necessity of submitting Work and Business Reports, without which checks on the legality of their operations would commence. On the Assembly's agenda was the Financial Operations Report for 2020, which was never reviewed by the Supervisory Board.

Dissatisfied members of the Association of Demobilized Veterans announce that they will seek justice and truth through legal channels. Similar situations are occurring in the Alliance of RVI BPK Goražde. The presidents of veteran associations are fiercely fighting to remain in their positions. This brings influence, but also compensation that most pensioners would envy.