Magoda with representatives of the Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired Persons in BiH: Convicted director Sakib Pleh to retire

(Patria) - Minister of Culture and Sports of Sarajevo Canton Kenan Magoda held a meeting today with the director of the Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired Persons in Bosnia and Herzegovina Sakib Pleh, and employees on the topic of financing, functioning and management of this institution.

We recall, the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Sarajevo Canton is in the final phase of taking over the temporary co-financing of seven cultural and educational institutions, whose founder is Bosnia and Herzegovina. By a special law (Lex specialis), the Government of Sarajevo Canton and the relevant ministry will co-finance employee salaries and thus solve the long-standing problem of these BiH institutions.

Due to the burden of the verdict against the director of the Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired Persons of BiH Sakib Pleh, Minister Magoda emphasized that this institution could not be part of the special law.

"We have reached an agreement that the director of the Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired Persons of BiH Sakib Pleh will retire as early as March, which will no longer be an obstacle and problem for this cultural institution to be part of the special law. I am pleased that after so many years we will solve the problem, because just as we take care of our cantonal cultural institutions, we as a responsible government also take care of BiH cultural institutions, because they are our national treasure," stated Minister Magoda.

He added that through the budget secured in the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Sarajevo Canton in the amount of 1.5 million KM, employees of these institutions will no longer have to worry about salaries and, most importantly, every subsequent income they receive from other institutions at the canton and Federation level, as well as embassies and non-governmental organizations, will be able to be invested in project activities and infrastructure.

Director of the Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired Persons of BiH Pleh said that this institution survived solely thanks to the dedicated work of employees, applying to public calls and projects, and not the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"I will fulfill the conditions for retirement in 15 days, and when we pay the February salary, I will submit a request for exercising the right to a pension and I will retire. Whether I will be able to be removed from the court register without the founder, I do not know, but today I promised the minister that, for the benefit of the institution, I have the good will to leave the position of director of the Library," stated Director Pleh, adding that he hopes that the Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired Persons of BiH will also resolve the co-financing of employee salaries through the Lex specialis.

Minister Magoda once again emphasized that during the drafting of this regulation, special care was taken that this law does not interfere with the jurisdiction of the state, the appointment of competent bodies and management boards, as well as the appointment of directors, and that the only priority is co-financing of employee salaries, prosperity and work of these BiH cultural institutions.

In 2022, Pleh was convicted of document forgery and sentenced to a suspended sentence of one and a half years.

However, he continued to work as director even though he does not have a valid university degree.