Crazy, confused, RS Government: Minister of Finance would push the debt of 90 million KM onto Elektroprivreda RS

SARAJEVO, (Pateia) - Minister of Finance in the RS Government, Zora Vidović, believes that Elektroprivreda Republike Srpske should pay 90 million marks to the Slovenian "Vijadukt", based on the recently concluded arbitration in Washington.

She did not explain why ERS should bear the damages for the unilaterally terminated concession.

Although the representatives of the Slovenian company sent a request for payment of the money, for which interest of half a million marks will be charged for each month of delay, she says she is not very familiar with this case.

"I am not very familiar with the history of these events. We have engaged certain experts to see what is happening there, but in my assessment, the budget should not bear it, but Elektroprivreda," she said today.

We remind you that Republika Srpska lost 90 million KM in a dispute before the arbitration court in Washington, following a lawsuit by the Slovenian company "Vijadukt", due to the unilateral termination of the concession agreement for the construction of hydroelectric power plants on the Vrbas river.

The arbitration dispute was initiated after "HES Vrbas", which was supposed to build hydroelectric power plants on the Vrbas, sent a damage claim of 46 million KM to the RS Government in October 2015 due to the termination of the contract, and since they did not reach an agreement, the majority owner of HES, the Slovenian "Vijadukt", initiated a request for arbitration with BiH in Washington.

The concession award agreement worth 165 million euros was signed by the RS Government with "HES Vrbas" in 2004, and it planned the construction of HE "Krupa" and HE "Banjaluka-Niska".

However, a year later, around 20,000 citizens of Banja Luka signed a petition against this project, and given that the project was not realized for ten years, the contract was terminated in September 2015.