AMENDMENTS TO THE RULEBOOK Will Minister Pavić-Pečenković go all the way and hire Berina Tabak even though she was arrested for it?

(Patria) - The Government of Sarajevo Canton held an extraordinary session on April 24, where it adopted the Decision on giving consent to the Rulebook on amendments and supplements to the Rulebook on internal organization of the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Displaced Persons and Refugees of Sarajevo Canton.

Just one day after that session, on the order of the KS Prosecutor's Office, in the continuation of the Envelope operation in which the Minister of Higher Education Adna Mesihović, her assistant Dženita Viteškić, and Ibrahim Obhođaš were arrested on April 10 and 11, the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Enda Pavić Pečenković was arrested.

The Municipal Court in Sarajevo rejected the proposed restrictive measures for Pavić Pečenković, and she returned to her duties in the Ministry without hindrance, but is still suspected of abuse of position.

However, in the latest issue of the Official Gazette of KS 18/25, published on May 8, the amended Rulebook was also published.

The amendments to the Rulebook, approved by the KS Government at the proposal of Minister Pavić-Pečenković, were intended to enable an employee of the Ministry of Higher Education, Berina Tabak, who is the sister of Ibrahim Obhođaš, to transfer to the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, to a managerial position – Head of the Department for Financial and Accounting Affairs, which is a higher position than she holds in the Ministry of Higher Education, where she works as an expert advisor for budget planning and execution.

Before the amendments, Article 11 of the Rulebook stated:

“Conditions for performing duties: A diploma of higher education or other educational or academic qualification of at least VII degree of professional qualification, i.e., first cycle of studies valued at 240 ECTS credits, or second or third cycle of the Bologna process of studies, completed Faculty of Economics, at least four years of work experience in the field of their profession, after completing higher professional education, passed professional exam, and computer literacy”.

In the amendments, this article is changed and reads: ....completed Faculty of Economics or Faculty of Business Economics“.

It is precisely in this change that the intention to favor Berina Tabak, who graduated from the Faculty of Business Economics at the University of Vitez in 2023, is hidden. The topic of her master's thesis was “Improving business processes to increase the efficiency of Sarajevo Canton services”.

Incidentally, Berina’s brother, Ibrahim Obhođaš, is the dean of the Faculty of Information Technologies at the University of Vitez.

In the registry of employees in Sarajevo Canton, Berina Tabak is still listed as an employee of the Ministry of Higher Education.

Incidentally, the Municipal Court in Sarajevo extended the pre-trial detention of Adna Mesihović and Ibrahim Obhođaš for another two months, and the Prime Minister of KS, Nihad Uk, will likely propose the dismissal of the minister.