Who All Helped Boris Trapara 'Gather' Work Experience to Become Director: Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office Investigates Disputed Certificates

Written by: Amra Vrabac

The Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office has received additional documentation related to the case concerning Boris Trapara, director of the Sarajevo Canton Institute for the Protection of Cultural, Historical and Natural Heritage, specifically regarding disputed certificates of work experience based on which he was appointed director of the Institute. In the 2021 competition, he submitted as many as six different certificates to 'gather' five years of work experience, which was one of the conditions of the competition.

In addition to the checks being conducted by the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office, a case has also been opened by the District Public Prosecutor's Office in East Sarajevo, given that Trapara submitted a work experience certificate from the company Marvel, which is headquartered in East Sarajevo.
The additional documentation submitted to the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office concerns another work experience certificate, specifically the one from Burch University.

"The Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office has received additional documentation that is the subject of prosecutorial review. A final prosecutorial decision will be made upon the completion of all evidentiary actions in this case," stated the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office for the Patria News Agency.

That certificate stated that Trapara was engaged at the International Burch University as a lecturer at the Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, and that by performing the duties of a lecturer in teaching, Trapara gained one year of work experience. However, he was engaged as a teaching assistant-demonstrator in 2015.

An inspection was carried out at Burch, and it was determined that no employment or volunteer contract was concluded for this engagement. According to the Labor Law and the Volunteering Law, the engagement of a person without a concluded employment or volunteer contract cannot constitute work experience.

Furthermore, Boris Trapara is not listed in the employee registry of this university. Given that the certificate he submitted states that he held the position of 'lecturer,' he should have been registered with the employer.

According to Patria's information, the third certificate submitted by Trapara, from the Association National Committee Icomos in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is also disputed.

Through the inspection, it was determined that the Association does not apply the provisions of the Labor Law, is not treated as an employer, nor does it employ workers within the meaning of the Labor Law.

On the other hand, in the biography published on the website of the Association of Architects in Bosnia and Herzegovina for Trapara, it states that he is a "member of the Association of Architects in Bosnia and Herzegovina, NK ICOMOS in Bosnia and Herzegovina."

The certificate from ICOMOS was issued on June 10, 2021. The president of ICOMOS is Elša Turkušić-Jurić, who issued the certificate to Trapara, which is also under investigation. To make matters even more interesting, Turkušić-Jurić is also a member of the Management Board of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural, Historical and Natural Heritage of Sarajevo, which appointed Trapara as director. The Management Board appointed Trapara in August 2021.

It is no secret that Trapara is close to Our Party and is on friendly terms with Nasiha Pozder, the current Minister of Environment and Tourism in the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and an official of Our Party, and Turkušić-Jurić is her colleague from the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Sarajevo.

Regarding Marvel, two prosecutor's offices are investigating how Trapara gained work experience while simultaneously pursuing a doctoral study in France.

The Republika Srpska Labor Inspectorate determined that this person was not engaged in this company on any basis, which is also evident from the listing from the Republika Srpska Pension and Disability Insurance Fund, as the company never paid taxes or other obligations for him.
An inspection of the inspection report conducted at the company Marvel on May 22, 2023, clearly established that Boris Trapara is not recorded in the employee records.

"The employer did not provide evidence that Boris Trapara was engaged in 'Marvel' d.o.o. East Novo Sarajevo under any form of employment contract. Based on the above, it is clear that the employer did not present to this body any evidence that the said person was previously engaged by the employer, nor that he is currently engaged by the said employer, and therefore no documentation regarding his employment status with the said employer was presented," states the letter from the Republika Srpska Administration for Inspection Affairs in Banja Luka.

Documentation from the Republika Srpska Pension and Disability Insurance Fund, Branch East Sarajevo, dated July 20, 2022, shows that Boris Trapara was registered as an insured person from July 15, 2013, to February 1, 2014, and as an independent insured person for self-employment - Contract for services from March 15, 2019, to April 15, 2019, and from March 1, 2020, to March 9, 2020. The certificate he submitted from Marvel covers the period from January 1, 2017, to November 30, 2019.