How the FBiH Government Manages Processes: Heads of Five Federal Companies and Institutions Under Court Bans

(Patria) - In less than three years of the current FBiH Government's mandate, numerous federal companies and institutions whose heads were appointed by Nermin Nikšić's government or retained from the previous one, have found themselves in trouble after various federal courts, as precautionary measures in legal proceedings initiated due to suspicion of abuse of office, have banned the managements of these institutions and companies from performing their official duties.

These are the heads, directors, and members of the management structures of the Operator of Terminals of FBiH, the Federal Police Administration (FUP), the Police Academy of the Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs (FMUP), Railways of FBiH, and Sarajevo International Airport.

The latest case concerns the ban on performing duties for the acting director of Sarajevo International Airport, Sanin Ramezić, and three members of the Supervisory Board, Benjamin Mešak, Adnan Mahmutović, and Žan Matić, a measure issued by the Supreme Court of the Federation of BiH at the proposal of POSKOK.

The measure was issued due to the existence of a well-founded suspicion that the heads of the Airport abused their position to ensure conditions for Ramezić, a NiP party member, to become director. This resulted in the Sarajevo Airport having no one in charge since yesterday, due to the legal vacuum that has occurred.

The acting executive directors' mandates have expired, and the Airport's Supervisory Board does not have a quorum to hold a session at which they could potentially appoint acting directors.

Terminals of FBiH

The Cantonal Court in Sarajevo imposed a ban on performing duties on the director and deputy director of the Operator of Terminals of FBiH, Hermedin Zornić and Slaven Zeljko, back in August 2024.

They were arrested in July of the same year because the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office suspects them of illegally employing at least 15 people in the company Operator Terminals of FBiH during 2022 without announcing a public competition.

Zornić and Zeljko were first appointed as heads of Terminals as cadres of SDA and HDZ, during the mandate of the Government of the Federation of BiH headed by Fadil Novalić.

After Christian Schmidt imposed the FBiH Government with SDP's Nermin Nikšić, Hermedin Zornić changed allegiance and became a cadre of Kenan Uzunović, a federal MP whose vote was crucial for confirming the imposed government.

In the meantime, Uzunović moved to the party of the federal Minister of Internal Affairs, Ramo Isak, thus Hermedin Zornić became a cadre of Snaga naroda.

At the same time, according to information from Istraga, he also gained the favor of the federal Deputy Prime Minister Vojin Mijatović, so the FBiH Government appointed him as acting director of Operator Terminals by decision on April 8.

Railways of FBiH, MUP and FMUP

In October 2024, the Cantonal Court in Sarajevo imposed bans on performing duties on the director of Railways of FBiH, Reuf Sulejmanović, because, according to the KS Prosecutor's Office, as the former president of the Supervisory Board of KJKP Rad, he participated in the illegal appointment of Nijaz Salamović as executive director, and then as director of the company, even though he did not meet the requirements for these positions.

He was appointed despite warnings from the Office for Combating Corruption about irregularities in the appointment.

The most well-known case concerns the suspicion of abuse of office by the heads of FUP and FMUP, as well as individuals directly connected to the Prime Minister of FBiH, Nermin Nikšić.

In this regard, last month, the Special Department of the Supreme Court of FBiH, at the proposal of POSKOK, imposed bans on performing official duties on the former acting director of FUP, Vahidin Munjžić, the former head of the cabinet of the federal prime minister, Arijana Huseinović-Ajanović, the former director of the Police Academy of FMUP, Ervin Mušinović, and the federal police officer Muhamed Ohranović.

This has made the work of federal security agencies and institutions difficult and compromised, while at the same time, citizens' trust in institutions has been betrayed.

Given the number of such cases, the normal functioning of numerous federal companies has been called into question, while the FBiH Government refuses to take responsibility for such a catastrophic situation.