NiP Stuck in a Dead End with Sarajevo Airport Director Appointment, No Legal Basis to Annul the Tender

(Patria) - The Supervisory Board of Sarajevo Airport appointed Dino Selimović as the director of that company.

Previously, the FBiH Office for Legislation assessed that there are no legal obstacles to appointing Selimović to the position of acting director of Sarajevo International Airport.

This decision confirmed the information published by Istraga that the Government of the Federation of BiH instructed the members of the Airport Supervisory Board to seek an opinion from the Office for Legislation, after the Supervisory Board refused to appoint Selimović as director because they determined that he did not meet the conditions stipulated by the Statute.

Under pressure from the federal government, the Office for Legislation provided a positive opinion stating that Selimović, who serves as an advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of BiH, Elmedin Konaković, can be the acting director of the Airport until the tender procedure is completed.

Let us remind you, after the tender for the general and executive directors was completed, the Airport Supervisory Board sent a list of successful candidates to the Government of the Federation.

This list also includes former directors of Sarajevo Airport, Alan Bajić, and Sanin Ramezić, who is currently under a ban from the Supreme Court of the Federation of BiH due to suspicion that the Statute of this public company was changed to adapt to the conditions met by NiP's candidate, Ramezić.

Also on the list of successful candidates is Edhem Taći, an independent aviation expert.

Although the Government was supposed to choose one name from the aforementioned list and appoint a director, it was decided instead to re-appoint acting directors of the Airport management, and the Supervisory Board was asked to send a ranking list instead of the list of successful candidates.

The reason for the delay in completing the tender procedure is clear – NiP wants to have "their" director at all costs. And since Ramezić has since received a ban, Dino Selimović was proposed as an alternative option.

However, the members of the new Supervisory Board determined that Selimović does not meet the requirements because he has the necessary work experience with 180 ECTS, while 240 ECTS points are required for the position of Airport director.

In addition, Selimović submitted a diploma from the private Apeiron University in Banja Luka, which was under investigation for suspected issuance of fake diplomas.

The Statute of Sarajevo Airport clearly stipulates the conditions for the director. The only problem is that the candidates that Konaković's party persistently "pushes" – do not meet them. First Sanin Ramezić, now Dino Selimović.

Despite all this, the FBiH Office for Legislation claims that there are no obstacles to appointing another NiP candidate.

However, the problem for NiP now is that the Government will have to declare itself on the list of successful candidates from the tender and ultimately choose one name – and that, at least as things stand now, cannot be Sanin Ramezić.

The tender cannot be annulled either, as there is no legal basis for it. Therefore, the only desirable option for NiP would be for the Supreme Court of the Federation to lift the ban on Ramezić so that he can be (re)appointed as director, which is currently unlikely given the investigation led by POSKOK.

The whole situation is strikingly reminiscent of the case of appointing the director of the University Clinical Center Sarajevo (KCUS), when NiP also insisted for months on appointing Prof. Dr. Ismet Gavrankapetanović, despite the fact that this candidate did not receive the necessary approval from the federal Minister of Health, Nediljko Rimac.

Neither then, nor in this case, was there a basis for annulling the tender, so in the end, Narod i Pravda had to reluctantly cede the position to the second-ranked SDP candidate, Dr. Alen Pilav.