Confirmed by POSKOK: Case filed over sale of state property in Stolac

(Patria) - The Special Department for Combating Corruption, Organised and Inter-Cantonal Crime (POSKOK) confirmed to Detektor that a case has been filed at the Federal Prosecutor's Office regarding the sale of state property for the construction of photovoltaic power plants in the area.

In a written response, it was clarified that police agencies, acting on the order of POSKOK and under the supervision of the presiding prosecutor, seized certain material documentation related to the sale of several plots in the Stolac area. An analysis of the seized documentation is currently underway.

Stolac Mayor Stjepan Bošković did not respond to Detektor's messages and calls today.

Activist Ernest Đonko from the group "Stolački otpor" said he welcomes the activities aimed at uncovering the "illegal seizure and sale of state land in the Stolac area."

According to information from the "Stolački otpor" group, the City of Stolac and the City Council have been selling off state property in the Stolac area, where, among other things, the construction of photovoltaic power plants was planned.

- According to our information, 1,200 hectares of state land have already been transferred to the City of Stolac, and most of that has been sold - Đonko said.

He hopes that POSKOK will persist in its activities and that further work on the construction of photovoltaic power plants and transformer stations will be halted.

- In order to prevent greater damage to the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina than that caused by the Vijadukt project - added Đonko, referring to the Slovenian company to which Bosnia and Herzegovina owed 113 million marks.

According to the Law on the Temporary Prohibition of Disposal of State Property of Bosnia and Herzegovina, regardless of the provisions of any other law or regulation, state property may be disposed of exclusively by the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as its titular owner.

Demir Mahmutćehajić, an activist from Stolac, says he is aware of the case of seizure of state property and is glad that the problem of land grabbing, segregation, and violation of human rights in Stolac is finally being approached professionally.

- This is a long-standing process of seizing state land. And not only for photovoltaic plants, but also for the seizure of land where houses and many other facilities have been built - Mahmutćehajić states.

Salimir Kaplan, a representative in the Assembly of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, points out that he is aware of this case from the media, as well as the case of Komanje brdo, which involves a huge area, part of which was state agricultural land.

- We know here and constantly accuse the mayor of first transferring that land to the municipality, then selling it to an investor and converting it into construction land at some stage, and issuing all permits for it - says Kaplan, adding that all of this should be investigated to determine if there are grounds for prosecution.