Merdžo enjoys all the benefits of civil service, while as Secretary General of the HNS he threatens to establish a Croatian federal unit

Josip Merdžo, a HDZ BiH cadre, has been at the helm of the Institute for Intellectual Property of Bosnia and Herzegovina since 2016. The Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina appointed him at its session on 11 May 2023 for another five-year term.

Although it was reported before his appointment that he was finally convicted in 2006 for abuse of office or authority, he was pardoned in 2010, in accordance with constitutional powers, by the then President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and today's Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Borjana Krišto.

The Cantonal Court in Mostar sentenced him to one year in prison. In 1999, he enabled the payment of 66,000 KM from the budget for the salaries of a larger number of former police officers of Croatian nationality, whose services were no longer needed. Merdžo spent several months in prison after which Krišto pardoned him.

What is controversial in the case of Josip Merdžo is that he has the status of a senior civil servant, and for years he has also been the Secretary General of the Croatian National Assembly (HNS), the umbrella political institution of parties with a Croatian prefix, or as described, the institution that gathers legitimate representatives of Croats.

It was precisely from this political position that Merdžo expressed views contrary to the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, commenting on the judgment of the Strasbourg court in the case of Slaven Kovačević. In October this year, Merdžo said that the product of the wrong policy of a part of Bosniaks could be a Croatian federal unit. This statement by Merdžo remained without an adequate reaction, even though he violated the Law on Civil Service in the Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Article 16 of the Law states that a civil servant must not perform a duty, activity or hold a position that leads to a conflict of interest with his official duties, and in particular that a civil servant cannot be a member of management and other boards of political parties and must not follow instructions from political parties. A civil servant is obliged to present all information about the activities and functions he performs when being appointed to the position of civil servant.

Merdžo regularly participates in the political activities of HDZ and HNS, holds training sessions at HDZ political academies, all while receiving a high salary from the state budget.

Merdžo is a HDZ cadre

The Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina appointed Merdžo as director contrary to the Law on Civil Service in the Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and it is necessary to apply Article 50 of the Law on Civil Service in the Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina in this case.

Institute without enough Bosniaks

When it comes to the national structure of employees at the Institute for Intellectual Property of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the fewest employees are Bosniaks.

In the response that the Institute submitted to the state representative Šemsudin Mehmedović in March 2023, the Institute had 32 employees, of which a total of 7 were Bosniaks, 12 Serbs and 13 Croats.

Of the 17 civil servants, one is a Bosniak, eight Serbs and eight Croats. The national representation of employees is: six Bosniaks, five Croats and four Serbs. When it comes to employees, there are six Bosniaks, four Serbs and five Croats.

When it comes to management positions, the director is a Croat, the deputy director is a Serb, Zdravko Kašiković, appointed in July 2023, and all three assistant directors are Croats.

Three positions of head of internal organizational unit are held by Bosniaks, while one each is held by a Croat and a Serb. Therefore, of the 10 management positions, five are held by Croats, two by Serbs and three by Bosniaks.

According to the last census, 16 positions belong to Bosniaks, 10 to Serbs, five to Croats and one to others.