Respirator Case: FUCZ Made Payment Based on Offer

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - In the continuation of the trial for abuses during the import of respirators, a witness for the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina stated that in the Federal Civil Protection Administration (FUCZ), the contract with "Srebrena malina" for one type of respirator was protocolized, while the contract for another type of respirator was not.

Harisa Pepeljak, who is employed at the protocol department in FUCZ, explained how documents arriving at this institution are registered.

The witness confirmed that on April 3rd last year, the decision to exempt from the Public Procurement Law, as well as the contract for the procurement of respirators marked HC VE003, were entered into the register. She stated that the contract for respirators marked ACM 812A was never protocolized.

Pepeljak explained that mail arrived at their office with a cover sheet, and that documents arriving electronically were also brought to them.

"Everything that arrived was protocolized," said Pepeljak.

She also testified about two documents from April 22nd and 28th, which had the same content but different respirator markings.

Federal Prime Minister Fadil Novalić, suspended director of FUCZ Fahrudin Solak, director of the company "F.H. Srebrena malina" Fikret Hodžić, as well as the company itself, are being tried for abuse of position during the procurement of respirators. Federal Minister of Finance Jelka Miličević is charged with negligent work.

To the questions from Solak's Defense, witness Pepeljak specified that not all offers that arrived were entered into the register.

"We entered the offers that would be processed," stated the witness.

She said that she was not aware of any instruction not to bring all documents to the protocol due to crowds and the spread of infection, but that it is true that mail was left at the reception.

The Prosecutor's Office questioned witness Melih Glavinić about the payment of funds to "Srebrena malina".

"The supervisor (Sanita Alagić) brought the offer and said to make the payment. I wasn't in the office then. She told Nermina, and she told me what needed to be done, that part of the funds comes from a special fee, and part from the Government's reserve," explained Glavinić, who works as an accountant in FUCZ.

She confirmed that she completed her part of the work in the incoming invoices book based on the offer that was submitted to them, and that her colleague also did her part of the work based on the offer. When asked by prosecutor Mirza Hukeljić if it is usual to make payments based on an offer, Glavinić said that several payments were made in this way during the state of emergency, but that it is not usually done that way.

The witness confirmed that after some time, the supervisor came and took the binder with the documentation related to the procurement of respirators. As far as she remembers, it was about ten to fifteen days after the contract was signed.

To the questions from defense attorney Marsele Bajramović, the witness said that the data from the offer were the same as the data from the invoice.

Claiming that she was not telling the truth, Solak asked the witness how she knew what documentation the supervisor gave to her colleague Nermina if she wasn't in the office. Glavinić explained that she found the supervisor when she returned to the office and that she spoke with Nermina.

Witness Selma Hadžić, technical secretary in the office of the director of FUCZ, stated that email arrives at two addresses. She said that the mail was protocolized and that she took it to the director for signing. She noted that sometimes the director signed the mail first and then it was protocolized.

The continuation of the trial is on December 1st, writes Detektor.