Škrijelj on the Faculty of Medicine: I expect the rule of law to function

SARAJEVO, (Patria) – Rector of the University of Sarajevo Rifat Škrijelj confirmed at today's press conference that he forwarded the criminal complaint to the KS Prosecutor's Office, which he also supplemented two days ago in the case of the Faculty of Medicine, without naming the individuals against whom the complaint was filed.

When asked to name the individuals against whom the complaint was filed, the Rector of UNSA said that they are individuals against whom, as Rector, he discovered that they exceeded their authority, abused their position, and violated laws. Škrijelj stated that he expects the KS Prosecutor's Office to do what is defined by law.

The reason for Škrijelj's press conference is a letter sent to the media by the Faculty of Medicine, which was also published on the official website of that faculty. About twenty members of the Teaching-Scientific Council of the Faculty of Medicine in Sarajevo, mostly from KCUS, attended the press conference and disrupted the Rector's address with interjections and commotion. Škrijelj even stated that the Faculty of Medicine has been placed in a position where it depends more on the teaching base than on the University, and this is a problem that arose from the law.

“The abuse of academic space for political purposes has occurred at the Faculty of Medicine, which is contrary to the Law on Higher Education of KS. This letter is aimed at discrediting the founder's officials, the Speaker of the Assembly, and the Rector of UNSA. It is not good that they violate regulations, the Law, the Statute, and all other bylaws of UNSA in such a way,” said Škrijelj.

The Rector admitted that in its 70 years of existence, UNSA is facing an unusual situation regarding the Faculty of Medicine.

“All elements of illegal activity have been resorted to. The Law on Higher Education of KS is not respected at the Faculty of Medicine in Sarajevo, nor is the Statute of UNSA implemented or respected. Decisions of the Rector, decisions of the UNSA Governing Board, decisions of the inspection, and decisions of the courts are ignored. At this institution, there is a complete absence of the rule of law at this moment. Those who manage the faculty are directly responsible, and everything has been forwarded to the competent institutions in KS through relevant collected documentation,” said Škrijelj.

He reiterated that he expects the Teaching-Scientific Council of Medicine to return its work within the framework of the law, meaning to elect a dean or acting dean, register them in the court register after the Rector signs the decision, and remove individuals from the court register who have no legal basis to be there, which the Faculty of Medicine has not done, and the court has been informed about this, and then to elect a dean according to the law.

The Rector warned that the legal integration of UNSA cannot be forcibly stopped. He rejected accusations that this is a personal conflict.

“The law has its shortcomings, but these shortcomings arose because many formulations that the academic community did not agree with were included in the law. The law is a binding document for the Rector, deans; the law must be implemented, and when it is changed, then the novelty is implemented.”

He stated that the proposed amendments to the law never saw the light of day. At Medicine, things have unfolded in such a way that the founder assessed that some other things needed to be included because it had become impossible to function normally with the current composition of the council.

Škrijelj confirmed that the Faculty of Medicine exceeded its financial plan for salaries and requested a targeted inspection by the Budget Inspectorate.

“The founder sent the Budget Inspectorate, and it determined that the situation was much worse than I knew. I forwarded those documents to the competent institutions. I must not hide such things, and they have gone where they should. One million marks more than planned was spent on salaries. In December 2018, the Faculty of Medicine retroactively tried to ask the Governing Board to make changes to the financial plan in December, which was neither foreseen nor done,” said Škrijelj.

The Faculty of Medicine did not pay funds into the UNSA Development Fund for 2017 and 2018, and the estimated amount is over 400,000 KM.

When asked how he expects the situation at the Faculty of Medicine to be resolved, whether through someone's arrest, resignation, or in some other way, the Rector said that he expects the rule of law to function at the Faculty of Medicine.

“If anyone were involved, including the Rector, who was prematurely dismissed by the Governing Board, they should comply with that decision and not interfere further. The risk that individuals are taking is their own risk, and the rule of law must function. Whoever does not respect the law does not respect the state, and that person spreads anarchy,” said Škrijelj.