Novalić and Džindić's Benefits from SDA-SBB Coalition

Prime Minister Fadil Novalić (SDA) and the Minister of Energy and Mining of FBiH Nermin Džindić (SBB) are continuing their intentions to fully control the defense industry of this BiH entity, claim sources of the Patria agency.

After the dismissal of the director of Unis Group, Damir Vejo, failed because the members of the Supervisory Board of this state-owned company, as they announced, do not want to act illegally, the Government dismissed the Supervisory Board at an emergency telephone session.

Dismissed Supervisory Board member Professor Hasan Mahmutović told the Patria agency that it is now more than obvious that the Government needs money, that the defense industry is booming, and that this is a way for the Government to extract certain amounts of money to survive until the end of the year.

- The stories about us in the Supervisory Board not acting legally are fabricated. We protect the law, and no pressure will force us to dismiss anyone. Why would we dismiss a director who works legally? Let the Government dismiss us too, and then they can do whatever they want. As an economist, I have always said that the defense industry is a generator of BiH's development, and it is now booming. However, there are clearly those who seek their personal interests in everything. No one trusts the Government anymore, so they can't get loans from the EBRD or similar institutions. Specifically, UNIS Group has contracts in place, advance payments have been made, and the Government saw this as an opportunity to collect its dues! They need every mark - said Professor Mahmutović.

He added that the director Vejo's salary coefficient was increased some time ago due to exceptional results.

- And now they want to dismiss him. Something is not right here - added Prof. Mahmutović.

We remind you that the Government of the Federation of BiH, at a telephone session, gave prior consent for the dismissal of the members of the Supervisory Board of UNIS-Group d.o.o. Ilidža, before the expiry of their term of office. It also gave prior consent for the appointment of Enes Bikodušić, Amer Salihović, and Mirza Emirhafizović as acting members of the Supervisory Board of this company until the completion of the tender procedure, for a maximum of three months.

The benefits of the SDA-SBB coalition, like fishing in troubled waters, seem to be best utilized by Prime Minister Fadil Novalić and his minister Nermin Džindić (SBB). During their mandate so far, they have quietly installed a large number of their cadres in the defense and metal industries. These cadres were brought from Cimos and TDM, in which the Prime Minister, the Minister, and persons connected to them have ownership stakes. These are mostly relatives and persons connected by interest, mostly from the Tuzla Canton.

It is said that Novalić and Džindić now want to take control of the state company Unis Group, a trading company for weapons and military equipment, whose director Damir Vejo has contracted and signed agreements with foreign partners worth around 70 million KM in the past year.

Since this is a large sum of money, it was necessary to do everything to remove the successful Vejo (also an SDA cadre), so the then Supervisory Board (chairperson Jasmina Pašić, assistant to Minister Džindić) was ordered to dismiss Vejo.

It should be noted, say Patria's sources, that the SDA is divided in this case, as Minister Aljoša Čampara defended Vejo and was not in favor of his dismissal.

After the company's Supervisory Board, at its session on June 12, 2017, made a decision to adopt the business report and a decision to convene the Assembly of Unis Group d.o.o. for June 29, 2017, these positive facts did not fit into the projections of Novalić and Džindić, so they refused to appoint a representative of the Government for the scheduled Assembly. Instead, at the 111th Government Session, they made a decision to give prior consent for the dismissal of director Damir Vejo "due to the non-adoption of the report", which is actually adopted by the Assembly, which was not even held.

The former members of the Supervisory Board (Jasmina Pašić - assistant minister, Prof. Dr. Hasan Mahmutović, and Mirza Emirhafizović) requested clarification and elimination of legal deficiencies in the decision on the reasons for Vejo's dismissal.

- But, greed for money control is stronger than economic and legal arguments. On August 18, 2017, Novalić scheduled an emergency telephone session of the Government to dismiss the disobedient Supervisory Board. The decision for dismissal was voted on, including with the votes of SBB ministers, as well as the decision for two carefully selected associates of Novalić and Džindić: Enes Bikodušić (from TMD-AGS Gradačac, managed by old Novalić's partner Nurdin Nurdo Peštalić) and Amer Salihović - Nermin Džindić's personal friend, whose close relative Muamer Salihović Džindić uses for "special private financial matters" in Živinice, Tuzla Canton, and beyond - claims a Patria source.