Bank Unblocked: Protest of Swiss Franc Loan Users Ends

Members of the Association of Swiss Franc Loan Users "Švicarac" BiH have ended today's blockade of Addiko Bank in the center of Sarajevo, on Ferhadija Street. The bank was blocked for several hours as a measure of desperation faced by users of loans in Swiss francs. As many as 24 members of the Association have committed suicide, and numerous members have been evicted from their apartments because they could not pay the enormously high loan installments.

They decided on this step, as they said, because they can no longer wait for someone to address their problem, which they have been warning about for a long time, and since the last protest a year ago.

After the branch's business hours ended, they remained in its premises, seeking a solution to their problems.

- These people are looking for one of the federal parliamentarians or anyone they can talk to and they do not want to leave the bank. I will do my best to dissuade them from that and to go home. However, you must understand them too, because people have had enough - Kemal Duraković, president of UKK Švicarac, told reporters, adding that previous negotiations with the directors of this bank have not yielded results.

Addiko Bank announced that a large crowd was recorded at the Ferhadija branch due to a group of citizens making their transactions in small coins, thereby expressing their dissatisfaction with the status of their loan obligations with a currency clause, and added that the bank has provided these clients with a special payment point so they can conduct transactions undisturbed.

- Aware of the problems faced by CHF loan users, during the past year we offered loan conversion with a write-off of 30 or 50 percent of the principal debt, which was accepted by more than 90 percent of clients. This fact tells us two things. The first is that the number of users of these loans has drastically decreased, and there is no need to pass a special law. The second is that the agreement between the bank and clients, which will enable clients to service their obligations properly and will not endanger the economic and legal system in the country, is the only way to solve this problem - said Sanela Pašić, director of Addiko Bank.

Speaking about the proposed law, Pašić said that it is "contrary to numerous existing laws" and that it "endangers legal certainty and economic stability in the country".

- Our position, as well as the position of other relevant institutions, is that the law is bad and practically unenforceable. We are open to dialogue in order to enable other CHF clients to convert their loans - Pašić emphasized.

Addiko Bank stated in its announcement that the bank suffered multi-million losses during the past year alone in order to enable clients to convert at fair conditions, in order to resolve this inherited problem.

(N1/Patria)