Softić-Kadenić on the 'Mešić' case: We requested a written statement from the director of KUIP and will consider all legal options

(Patria) - The Government of Sarajevo Canton has requested documentation from competent bodies and institutions and a written statement from the director of the Cantonal Administration for Inspection Affairs, Adis Mešić, after the Municipal Court in Sarajevo, by its decision of February 15, 2024, permanently confiscated the Certificate/Confirmation of work experience/service of Mešić, which was seized by members of the Police Administration, Department for Economic Crime and Corruption, on January 23, 2024.

This concerns a certificate from the company MCA komunikacije for the period from July 1, 2011, to July 1, 2012, issued to Mešić by his wife Mersiha Mešić, although an inspection of the court register revealed that Adis was the director from August 19, 2011, to March 21, 2012, and then his wife. This is a period of almost eight months. Mešić used this certificate for the competition at KUIP, where he has been employed since January 1, 2013.

Given that the statute of limitations for criminal prosecution for the criminal offense of "forgery of a document" has expired, the KS Prosecutor's Office, considering the moral interests and the fact that it was undoubtedly established that the certificate contains false information, requested its permanent confiscation from the Municipal Court.

Adis Mešić was appointed director of KUIP at the end of 2023, and prior to that, he was appointed acting director of KUIP three times in a row, and a total of four times. The KS Government knew that he was violating the Law on Ministerial, Government, and Other Appointments of the FBiH, and the KS Prime Minister Nihad Uk was also aware of this, who, on June 8, 2023, in response to Patria's question about whether there could have been another candidate given that they appointed the same person three times in a row, wrote: "I agree, but...".

The Minister of Justice and Administration of KS, Darja Softić Kadenić, stated in an interview with Patria that when appointing the director of KUIP at the end of 2023, the candidate Mešić Adis did not submit the disputed certificate of work experience with his application, nor was a criminal proceeding pending against the candidate at the time of reviewing the applications for the director of the Cantonal Administration for Inspection Affairs, which the commission reviewing the applications verified with the Prosecutor's Office.

"These are new circumstances that the KS Government learned about after the appointment. We have requested the submission of documentation from the competent bodies and institutions, as well as a written statement from the director regarding all the mentioned circumstances. The Government has also provided all requested documentation in this case at the request of the Prosecutor's Office.

Considering the possible legal consequences, as well as the fact that the Government's decisions can be subject to judicial review, it is still too early to draw conclusions before we gather all the necessary information and consider the legal options we have regarding further action, especially considering the legal basis for dismissing a director before the end of their term according to Article 27 of the Law on Civil Service of Sarajevo Canton," stated Softić-Kadenić.

Mešić is a candidate close to Narod i pravda, and his last appointment as acting director of KUIP in September 2023 was shrouded in secrecy. Although seven ministers voted for Mešić, this appointment itself is under scrutiny by the KS Prosecutor's Office, specifically whether it was carried out in accordance with all procedures. Some ministers have already testified at the KS Prosecutor's Office, which explains the caution of the current KS Prime Minister Nihad Uk, who does not respond to Patria's inquiries and calls, as well as the caution of Minister Softić-Kadenić.

Part of the KS Prosecutor's Office's letter, which was also forwarded to the KS Government regarding Mešić

This is not the only case of a disputed appointment of a public institution director in KS. Patria has already written about the case of Boris Trapara's appointment as director of the Cantonal Institute for the Protection of Cultural, Historical, and Natural Heritage Sarajevo, who submitted a certificate of work experience whose authenticity could not be confirmed by an inspection of the company 'Marvel' Istočno Sarajevo, nor was Trapara ever registered in the civil registry as an employee. In that certificate, he stated three years of work experience, and the period coincides with his stay in France where he was pursuing his doctoral studies.

This case is being investigated concurrently by the KS Prosecutor's Office and the District Prosecutor's Office of Istočno Sarajevo.