FIVE DAYS AFTER APPOINTMENT Was Minister Mesihović registered in the court registry when she signed service contracts?

Minister of Science, Higher Education and Youth of the Sarajevo Canton Adna Mesihović (ZNG) lobbied during the summer for the Sarajevo Canton Government to change the members of the University of Sarajevo's Governing Board, and of the 11 members the Board has, four are appointed by the Sarajevo Canton Government.

Such a proposal by Minister Mesihović was contested because she had no legal basis for dismissing the current members and appointing new ones to the Governing Board.

The Sarajevo Canton Government appointed four members for the 2022-2026 term: Murat Ramadanović, who is also the President of the Governing Board, Mersiha Šabaredžović-Klačar, Alma Sarić, and Ismeta Čardaković.

Such a plan by Minister Mesihović was legally refuted by the Secretary of the Sarajevo Canton Government, Mersiha Šabaredžović-Klačar, who is also a member of the UNSA Governing Board.

On the other hand, it is indicative that Minister Mesihović has been emphasizing in public in recent days that the Secretary of the Sarajevo Canton Government rejected a temporary solution that would enable the payment of salaries to employees of the University of Sarajevo, which was halted precisely by Mesihović and Minister of Finance Afan Kalamujić, who is her party colleague.

“Last week, I informed the Prime Minister and the Sarajevo Canton Government about the problem of non-execution of the decision of the Cantonal Administration for Inspection Affairs by the UNSA management and the consequences for the payment of salaries to UNSA employees. At the same time, we proposed a temporary solution, but it was not accepted due to suggestions from the Secretary of the Government, who is also a member of the UNSA Governing Board. We insisted on meetings with the Union and the UNSA technical service at the Prime Minister's first available time,” Mesihović stated in yesterday's post on social networks.

After the squabble caused by Minister Mesihović, employee salaries were released on Friday at the end of working hours, so the salaries were in accounts only on Monday, December 16.

While Minister Mesihović continues to state that an acting rector should be appointed as soon as possible because the current rector, Tarik Zaimović, is not registered in the court registry, the question arises whether Minister Mesihović was registered in the court registry when she signed a service contract with Arijana Turković, her party colleague.

The Sarajevo Canton Government was appointed on November 15, 2023, and Mesihović signed her first contract already on November 20. Turković was also engaged under a service contract during 2024, and these very contracts are the subject of checks by the competent authorities.

Contract signed just five days after appointment

Registration in the court registry or making any changes to data in the court registry takes at least a month at best, and there are also cases where registration is not completed for months.

While Mesihović disputes that Zaimović is not registered in the court registry, proceedings before the Cantonal Court in Sarajevo are still ongoing, and a final decision is awaited. It is true that the Cantonal Court rejected UNSA's appeal in the case contesting the decision of the Ministry of Science, Higher Education and Youth regarding tuition fees, because the judge, upon reviewing the registry, determined that on October 25, when the appeal was filed, Zaimović was not registered. However, that procedure was ongoing, and due to legal twists and a certain lack of understanding of the process, it is still ongoing.

After the election of rector Tarik Zaimović, the UNSA Senate confirmed the election by its decision, and according to the Law on Higher Education and the Statute aligned with the law, the Senate's decision can only be annulled by the Senate or a court. In Zaimović's case, his election was first annulled by the Cantonal Inspectorate, and then confirmed by the Ministry, against which a lawsuit was filed with the Cantonal Court and a temporary injunction was requested.

Such moves are unprecedented at the University of Sarajevo, and after salary payments were blocked, the UNSA Union also stated that the problem between UNSA and the founder must not be taken out on the employees, and activities were undertaken to organize a warning strike and a general strike if discrimination against UNSA employees continues and salary payments are blocked again.

On Wednesday, December 18, the UNSA Senate will hold a regular, and likely an emergency session, to consider the current situation and adopt a position of the University of Sarajevo.