Ivanić: Accusations against Dodik and Lagumdžija are shocking, the Prosecutor's Office is on the move!

I expect an urgent reaction from the BiH Prosecutor's Office to the affair of printing driver's and vehicle registration licenses, because what has been published in the media is shocking, stated in an interview for the BiH news agency Patria (NAP) Mladen Ivanić, candidate of the Alliance for Changes for a member of the BiH Presidency.

Namely, the Office for the Audit of Institutions of BiH submitted a report to the BiH Prosecutor's Office a few weeks ago, which challenged the signing of a contract with the company „Milibauer“, whose director is the son-in-law of Nebojša Radmanović, a member of the BiH Presidency.

The contract, which was assessed as detrimental to the state, is worth 104 million marks, and according to claims from SDS, the leader of SNSD Milorad Dodik and SDP Zlatko Lagumdžija have connections to the ownership of this company.

Ivanić: We will see what the reaction of the responsible institutions will be. What has been published in public is shocking. If everything is as published, then it is clear to what extent crime goes in joint institutions. This is all a consequence of nepotism, personal family ties of key people in SNSD, but it seems also in SDP. I expect an absolutely urgent reaction from the Prosecutor's Office. This case is of such magnitude that it deserves an investigation and punishment of those responsible for corruption and abuse.

NAP: Can the BiH Prosecutor's Office reach high political officials and follow the trail of these accusations of nepotism and corruption?

Ivanić: It should and must. PDP has requested the adoption of a law against nepotism that would clearly limit such things. But this government, by amending the law on conflict of interest, has opened up space for these things. And SDP and SNSD did this together. Now the real reasons for changing that law on conflict of interest are becoming clear, because we did not have such cases before.

NAP: This is not the first time Dodik has been mentioned in some scandals. But, do you think the BiH Prosecutor's Office has the strength to treat and prosecute him this time? He is very difficult when accused and has previously sharply attacked the BiH Prosecutor's Office and state judicial institutions.

Ivanić: It has been shown that the BiH Prosecutor's Office can when it wants to, and we have seen solved cases of murders and organized crime. It is up to them, the only question is whether they will, if they want to, then they can. Dodik is an opponent of the work of the BiH Prosecutor's Office, but he has never, at least not publicly, challenged the role of that prosecutor's office in the fight against crime, although he has in the case of war crimes. And I believe that there is politicization in that regard, but when it comes to the fight against organized crime, the BiH Prosecutor's Office has had quite positive results.

NAP: BiH has been promised significant international aid, but how do you comment on the reaction of domestic authorities to the catastrophic disaster?

Ivanić: That reaction was weak and inadequate, the damage could have been less, but there was complete chaos and unpreparedness of the institutions. That is why the damages are huge, because the reaction was inappropriate. But, I am grateful to the international institutions that provided great assistance, even more than we expected.

NAP: You are a candidate of the Alliance for Changes. Can you defeat your rival Željka Cvijanović, the candidate of the ruling party?

Ivanić: I am convinced that I have great chances of winning. After all, I defeated Radmanović four years ago, and then I was prevented from verifying it by manipulations, so it will be easier and more convincing this time. As for the others, it will be close for Bosniak and Croat candidates. The most influential figures of recent years have been nominated for the BiH Presidency.