Patria hires lawyer Vasvija Vidović due to Čović's threats and pressures

The Bosnian news agency Patria will protect itself from threats recently made publicly by the member of the BiH Presidency and leader of HDZ BiH, who stated that he would sue us for publishing the testimony of the former director of the Indirect Taxation Authority of BiH, Kemal Čaušević, in which, among others, his name is mentioned.

We took the announcements that they would sue us extremely seriously, not only as a threat but also as a kind of pressure to stop writing about Čović and the criminal activities he is associated with.

Therefore, Patria has already engaged the prominent Bosnian lawyer Vasvija Vidović, who will defend us against Čović's announced lawsuits.

Furthermore, we announce that we will continue to uncover all criminal activities linked to Čović, as well as other politicians, not only those mentioned in Čaušević's testimony but also in other scandals we uncover.

Čaušević, we recall, called out Čović for illegal enrichment with the money of the citizens of this country.

According to the testimony of the former director of the UIO, the HDZ leader exerted political pressure on him, and the Sokol building in Mostar was paid for at a price several times higher than the actual market value, with the money ending up in Čović's pockets.

Patria has only published the first of Čaušević's testimonies, but since he has given several statements to the BiH Prosecutor's Office so far, it is assumed that the list of named politicians has expanded, as well as the crimes they are associated with.

Pressure on media that uncover the truth about corruption and crime by politicians and high officials is increasing.

Police raid on the premises of the Klix.ba portal, SIPA raid on the editorial office of „Dnevni avaz“, Milorad Dodik's attack on journalists from BNTV, Beta, Oslobođenje....

Čović now publicly threatens Patria. We asked long ago who is the next media outlet? And now we ask, who will protect the media from threats and political pressures?

In the Pressing show on N1 television, Dragan Čović spoke about the „Čaušević“ case. Because of what he said, we engaged lawyer Vasvija Vidović.

We present Čović's statements in full:

Host: The former head of the UIO BiH, Kemal Čaušević, gave a testimony that leaked from the Prosecutor's Office, in which, among others, you and Mr. Dodik are listed as persons who are guilty, at least according to Čaušević, for the embezzlement of millions of marks. Specifically, Mr. Čaušević says you pressured him to sell the Sokol building in Mostar for 2 million instead of the 900,000 estimated by the expert. Are you afraid that this testimony could be turned into a criminal complaint or an indictment against you, Dodik, and others named by Čaušević?

Čović: I don't know, there are several problems here. One is under what conditions someone gave such a testimony. Another is how that testimony could have leaked to the public in its original form, and it's good that it leaked, but the question is how it could have, given the way it was handled. And the third is what is written in that testimony.

To all that, I can answer with one sentence. I absolutely do not think that a serious institution, the judicial institution of BiH, will even seriously consider it. Even when you read what that man said, the question arises of what he is talking about. Such a testimony deserves a lawsuit from my side, and my lawyers suggest that I sue both those who released it to the public at a time when negotiations are ongoing, initiating these activities on a similar model as in 2002 and 2003 by some institutions in BiH again, against those institutions, and also against those who are convicted of crime and then supposedly want to include someone else in that. And then a separate story is why someone did that, who motivated them to do it, and this is not the only case.

Host: You have already said several times that indictments are being fabricated against you.

Čović: Absolutely.

Host: Borjana Krišto asked for clarification on how that testimony leaked to the public from the Prosecutor's Office and demanded that prosecutions against influential persons, meaning against you, stop. Why do you treat this as a prosecution? Will you give a chance to prove whether it is true or not that you pressured Mr. Čaušević to sell the Sokol building for 2 million instead of 900 thousand?

Čović: First of all, it should be left to the institutions of BiH from which that testimony leaked to discuss and resolve that issue. Otherwise, it makes no sense to comment on something that is in such a phase. My harshest comment is that it deserves a lawsuit from my side against the institutions that did it, and I will stick to that. Let the BiH institutions do the rest. The only way for those institutions to truly become institutions of the rule of law in BiH, which it is not today and I often say that, is precisely to leave it to the judicial institutions to finally start doing their job. Regardless of who has to answer for it, whether it is the president of the state or an ordinary citizen. I will repeat once more. I am seriously considering the lawsuits I need to file against both the institutions that allow this and the individuals who abuse it.