Džindić and Novalić's Company: Will Principled Radončić Respond to the Law Violation?

The Patria News Agency has uncovered shocking facts about the joint company of the Prime Minister of the Federation, Fadil Novalić, and Nermin Džindić, the newly appointed SBB minister of energy, industry, and mining.

Fahrudin Radončić proposed Džindić, and Novalić appointed a man with whom he has a joint business to the ministerial position, thereby showing a special kind of arrogance.

This impudence would logically continue in the business relationship between Džindić's and Novalić's state and their private company, by taking money from the budget that citizens fill.

The only law concerning political power-holders is the Law on Conflict of Interest in Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The law stipulates that elected officials, as well as those in executive positions and their advisors, cannot have a private interest that affects the legality and impartiality in performing public office.

The law states that officials must not use their office for public gain, but only in the interest of citizens.

By appointing Džindić as his minister, Novalić has, for the first time, shown that he has violated the law and entered into dubious dealings. Nepotism is evident, and the law and punishment for such actions have existed for a long time.

The question is how Fahrudin Radončić will assess this open and brutal violation of the law by the head of the Federation Government? He has previously assessed Novalić as unfit for this position.

Let's recall that Radončić expelled an SBB member from Tuzla due to a debt to the tax administration, and he disassociated himself from a number of his important people due to various transgressions. Until now, Radončić's actions have appeared to be those of a principled politician.

Džindić was launched into power as a minister, as a cadre of his SBB, so it all seems like an SDA setup for their new coalition partner. Such a violation of the Law on Conflict of Interest demonstrates arbitrariness and complete irresponsibility towards the citizens of this country.

The only law that has regulated the conduct of political power-holders is being openly trampled upon. The Law on Conflict of Interest prohibits the employment of close relatives of officials in government. However, it is evident that for two decades, employment in this country has exclusively been for the relatives of politicians.

We have witnessed violations of the Law on Conflict of Interest publicly demonstrated only a few times so far.

The first case concerns a housewife from Republika Srpska who made cakes for the kitchen of state institutions. When it turned out that her husband worked in a state institution, the delivery of cakes was stopped. The second application of the law in practice concerned the father-in-law of Senad Šepić, who was then the director of a public utility company in Travnik.

Discussions about these two cases lasted for months, and even the resignation of one of these two was sought.

Today, in the case of Novalić, we have the worst possible violation of the Law on Conflict of Interest, while the authorities remain wisely silent.

Will the principled Radončić allow things to unfold to his detriment, or will he, as he has done in previous years, respond fiercely to this unprecedentedly brutal violation of the Law on Conflict of Interest?