Galić and associates illegally use new official vehicles and attack anyone who opposes them

By Rasim Belko

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Border guards do not give up the fight for responsible work of the BiH Border Police and its functioning in accordance with legal and other regulations. 

Therefore, letters from this police agency are once again arriving at the Patria agency. 

In the latest letter, sent on February 28, the allegations from the article "Border Police Hide Travel Orders, Director and His Deputy Use Official Vehicles 24 Hours a Day" are confirmed. 

In addition to confirming, border guards are sending us new information about the problem of misuse of official vehicles. They state that in addition to the director and deputy, all heads of basic organizational units in the BiH Border Police, as well as the assistant director and his advisors (more than 15 Border Police officials), use official vehicles 24 hours a day.

Border guards also state that for several years, all chief inspectors in the Border Police, as well as some independent inspectors, have been using official vehicles all day long. 

They come to work and go home in official vehicles, do private errands during weekends and working hours, drive wherever and whenever they want, all at the state's expense. No one is keeping track of this, except that those who use official vehicles are obliged to submit a usage report at the end of the month, and they compile these reports as they see fit. Moreover, they behave as if these are their private vehicles, so no one else can use them for official duties. 

Responsible border guards, as they sign off, state that the Director of the Border Police, Zoran Galić, issued a Decision on the Right to Use Specialized Official Vehicles in September 2019, granting the right to use these vehicles to the director, deputy director, and assistant director. 

However, instead of solving the problem, Galić only complicated it further. Point 2 of his decision states that the heads of basic organizational units and the director's advisors also have the right to an official vehicle, but only in relation to operational needs and ensuring the continuity of efficiency in performing tasks and duties within their jurisdiction. 

Although it is not stated anywhere that the vehicles can be used for commuting to and from work, this practice continues. 

Border Police officers say that Galić's Decision is quite ambiguous and unclear, so everyone understands and interprets it in a way that suits them. Most still believe that the vehicles can be used for private purposes. 

However, border guards note, there are also those who adhere to the law and use official vehicles in accordance with their duties. But when a good person is found among many bad ones, they become a black sheep. 

Suad Kasupović, head of the Northwest Regional Office in Gradiška, stopped using his official vehicle for commuting immediately after Galić made the decision. 
Because of this behavior, Kasupović came under fire from colleagues, who told him that their decision endangered them and that his behavior could lead to them being forbidden to use official vehicles 24 hours a day. However, they did not manage to scare Kasupović, and he remained consistent in implementing the decision. 

The Internal Audit report also showed that the use of official vehicles is not being monitored. The Report states, among other things, that many heads are using official vehicles illegally, for purposes outside their job descriptions. 

Like Kasupović, the auditor who prepared the report was not spared by inspectors, heads, and others who clearly enjoyed driving on state fuel and using state depreciation.  

Thus, at the last meeting of the expert collegium of the BiH Border Police, they sharply attacked the "auditor", even accusing him of exceeding his competencies. According to the participants of that meeting, the auditor was attacked by Director Zoran Galić, his deputy Fahrudin Halač, director's advisor Svevlad Hofman, assistant director, and others. 

Border guards remind that two years ago, all heads of basic organizational units were given new VW Tiguan vehicles for use, which they use as they please. 

At the same time, as we have written before, officers in the field are using old and faulty vehicles. We also wrote about this in the article Border Guards in Dilapidated Vehicles: Galić Endangers Traffic Safety and Admits Cadets Without School. After this article, officers informed us that certain vehicles had been serviced, but that they still had problems. 

The problems in the Border Police, led by Galić and Halač, continue. And all their shortcomings are paid for by taxpayers.