Forto on hotels not paying for water: We have initiated processes

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - After it was discovered that the company KJKP Rad suffered multi-million damage due to fraud with bills to large business entities, including several Sarajevo hotels, an audit is also announced for the company KJKP Vodovod i kanalizacija (Water Supply and Sewerage). 

Chairman of the Sarajevo Canton Assembly Elmedin Konaković stated that the crime in the company Rad has been reported to the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office, from which he will demand a swift resolution of the case. He announced that the same will be done with ViK, as it was previously discovered that some hotels are also "stealing" water, meaning they are not paying for the water actually consumed. 

The director of ViK, Azra Muzur, confirmed that the situation remains the same a year after the data on water theft was first presented. ViK will soon have new management. 

“Today, the situation is that we have inspected all hotels, car washes, and restaurants, and we know exactly who is stealing our water. Almost all hotels are stealing water, as well as the majority of car washes. They pay their bills, but they all have bypasses for water. We have a lot of problems; our workers are not allowed to conduct inspections, and they are threatened and attacked. We have written a letter to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, asking them to be with us. We know exactly where we can have problems. We have problems with those who are not in order. We know exactly when water is being stolen from us. Most of the theft occurs over the weekend. There are large restaurants that are part of hotels,” Muzur told N1 today. 

Sarajevo Canton Prime Minister Edin Forto declined to provide details or comment on director Muzur's statements regarding the Rad and ViK cases in a statement to the Patria agency. 

“We have initiated processes, and ViK will be on the agenda soon,” Forto said. 

The Sarajevo Canton Government has not provided data on the extent of the damage caused to the ViK company due to water theft, but based on the example of KJKP Rad, it can be said that the amounts are in the millions. 

“Serious and systemic corruption is happening in this company. This confirms our earlier announcements, and after Rad, we will do the same in Vodovod i kanalizacija, which will soon get new management,” said Konaković. 

It is expected that the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office will investigate how the theft of public cantonal companies in Sarajevo was organized, causing damage to both the companies and the Sarajevo Canton Budget, which provided funds to cantonal companies every year.