REACTIONS Grabovica has no real possibility to play a key role in awarding contracts

(Patria) - Damir Beglerović, Elvedin Grabovica's authorized representative, sent a reaction to the article titled "Millions for noise barriers to companies without experience and owner with connections: Čović, Nikšić, Grabovica and Badžak in a tender trap?".

"In accordance with Article 7 and Article 8 of the Law on Protection against Defamation of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which guarantee the right to correction and the right to reply, I hereby submit a request for correction of the statements that represent inaccurate, incomplete, and insinuating information presented in the aforementioned article, which relate to my client.

In the disputed text, in the parts that mention the name of my client Grabovica Elvedin, claims were made that are not based on facts. Specifically, I deny the following statements:

"The whole case becomes even more intriguing when one considers the network of connections between the actors. At the same address, Donje Polje no. 42, the company CTK is registered, along with Euro Sjaj, owned by Haris Nikšić, son of FBiH Prime Minister Nermin Nikšić, and in which Elvedin Grabovica, former director of Elektroprivreda BiH and a close associate of Jasmin Badžak, was a co-owner."

In relation to the information mentioned, we point out, first and foremost, that the address Donje Polje number 42, Konjic, represents an industrial zone where, in addition to the mentioned companies, other companies are registered, including: NATARFI d.o.o, „Alat“ d.o.o. Konjic, „Štanceraj New Company“ d.o.o. Konjic, Monter d.o.o. Konjic, Biol d.o.o. Konjic, Graewe Tadiv d.o.o. Konjic, MBH-PROM d.o.o. Konjic, as well as „IGMAN“ d.d. Konjic. In addition to the above, Grabovica Elvedin was not in the ownership or management structure of the company CTK d.o.o. during the period from 2020 to 2025, which can undoubtedly be determined by reviewing publicly available court register data. We also point out that there is no, nor has there ever been, any business cooperation between Grabovica Elvedin and Jasmin Badžak, nor between the companies founded by Grabovica Elvedin, as is inaccurately stated in the article. In accordance with all of the above, the statements in your article clearly represent insinuations and inaccurate, or incomplete information, as stated earlier.

Furthermore, in your article, you also state the following part of the text: "According to available information, Elvedin Grabovica, who already has a history of joint action with Badžak – from the unsuccessful management of FK Željezničar to the current lucrative construction business – played a key role in awarding the contracts. Besides them, Nermin Nikšić and Dragan Čović are also mentioned as political patrons of the project, whose influence on the distribution of large contracts in the Federation of BiH remains untouched."

Regarding the above, we point out that my client has no real possibility to play a key role in awarding contracts, given that he is a private entrepreneur and founder of the company MEGANET d.o.o Sarajevo, which company deals with information technologies, software development, and software solutions, therefore the claim about lucrative construction business is completely inaccurate. In addition to the above, from the Decision on the selection of the most favorable bidder in an open procedure, which was published in the article, it is evident that the decision-maker is the Public Enterprise Highways of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a limited liability company Mostar, while the signatory of the decision is the acting director. This further confirms the inaccuracy and unverified nature of the published information, as well as insinuations to the detriment of my client, which harm his reputation and honor.

By publishing unverified and inaccurate information, your portal has potentially presented false information to the public and caused damage to the personal and professional integrity of Mr. Grabovica Elvedin, as he is an associate professor at the Faculty of Economics at the University of Sarajevo and a private entrepreneur. Your portal has acted contrary not only to the Law on Protection against Defamation but also to the basic principles of professional journalism and the provisions of the Code of the Press and Online Media in BiH, especially regarding the obligation of accurate and verified reporting. We believe that presenting such claims without adequate verification and without providing an opportunity for him to respond before publication is contrary to the principles of objective and professional journalism," the reaction states.