While Archival Material Disappears, Director Mrda (SNSD) Fills Pockets of the Favored: BiH Archives Turned into an ATM

(Patria) - The Archives of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an institution that should preserve the country's history, has been turned into a playground for political and financial crime. At the head of this institution is Danijela Mrda (SNSD), under whose leadership illegal employment contracts were signed, and nepotism, fictitious exhibitions, and misuse of budget funds are omnipresent.

Incidentally, for the last three terms, the head of this institution has been a Serb representative, and from 2016 to the present, there are fewer Bosniak employees than they are entitled to according to the 2013 Census. Out of 18 permanent employees, eight are Serbs, seven are Bosniaks, and 3 are Croats. Mrda also has two deputies, one each from the Bosniak and Croat communities. Currently, the staffing level of this institution is below 50%, while the systematization provides for 38 positions.

And while the Archives of BiH operate under difficult conditions, lacking space for storing material and other inadequate conditions, this has not stopped Director Mrda, who is vying for another term, from squandering budget funds.

In 2024, the Audit Office determined that Mrda signed two illegal employment contracts with Miroslav Čolić, even though that position was not systematized or approved by the Civil Service Agency. Čolić, the director's driver and personal escort, also received travel compensation for a route of 230 kilometers, which increased costs, although the actual distance is significantly less.



Fictitious contracts have become the norm, exhibitions that were never held have been paid for, translations of documents that were already done have been paid for again, and repairs that were never started have been paid for. Contracts were also signed with close relatives. Thus, for the preparation of the exhibition “Culture of Serbs in Sarajevo,” the director engaged her son-in-law Miroslav Lalović, and his fee was 2,000 KM, even though the work was already done by Archive employees.

In the service contract, which Patria had access to, it was not specified for which project he was exactly engaged, but sources reveal that it is precisely about 'Culture of Serbs in Sarajevo'.

In 2025, Lalović was again engaged for the exhibition “80 Years of Victory over Fascism,” in cooperation exclusively with the Russian Embassy. Although Lalović is not formally an employee of the Archives of BiH, meaning he is an external associate, Director Mrda authorized him to visit regional archives to find documents, and at the same time to prepare a conceptual solution for glass and lighting. It remains unclear why this exhibition is being done solely in cooperation with the Russian Embassy, given that Russians were not the only ones fighting during World War II. And the Russian aggression against Ukraine, condemned by almost the entire world, is currently ongoing.



Even more scandalous is the “Exhibition of the Liberation of Sarajevo” – graphic catalogs and posters were paid for, but the exhibition was never held. A similar pattern is repeated with other contracts signed with individuals instead of through public procurement, whereby the Archives of BiH paid more, with additional taxes and contributions.

While archival material is deteriorating in corridors and offices due to lack of space and equipment, budget money is disappearing through fictitious projects and private arrangements. The audit has clearly warned of abuses, but the BiH Prosecutor's Office and relevant authorities remain silent.



Instead of preserving collective memory, the Archives of BiH have been turned into a private ATM for favored personnel and their families.

Payments for Non-Existent Works

- The list of fictitious jobs is long:

- 500 KM was paid for the “translation of Ottoman documents,” although the documents had already been translated and the catalog was never published;

- for the exhibition “Liberation of Sarajevo – 110 Years,” contracts were signed with multiple individuals totaling over 1,000 KM, although the exhibition was never held, nor is it clear what is meant by that liberation;

- Armin Valjević was contractually paid for the repair of cabinets and shelves in the depots (2,000 KM in 2024, then again 2,100 KM in 2025), but witnesses confirm that they never saw him in the Archive premises, nor was the work done, nor could it have been done without knowing who entered the depots and when, due to sensitive data and historical material.

Service contracts are systematically abused, signed for jobs that fall under the regular duties of employees, without public procurement, often with individuals close to the director.

The business audit clearly established that illegal contracts and fictitious projects were signed at the Archives of BiH, with a recommendation to immediately stop this practice. However, the competent institutions, primarily the Council of Ministers of BiH, remain silent, even though they were informed about Director Mrda's questionable activities several months ago.



And while the Archives of Bosnia and Herzegovina were managed in a way that financially strengthened people around her, Director Mrda was also present at rallies supporting Milorad Dodik, which means the Archives served as an ATM from which loyalty to the SNSD leader and the entity he led was evidently paid for.