Softić: I leave with pride, we have left good assumptions for future work

The Central Bank of BiH today elected a new leadership headed by Prof. Dr. Jasmina Selimović.

Softić led the Central Bank of BiH through very difficult and challenging times. Besides fighting the economic consequences after the coronavirus, and during the Russian aggression against Ukraine, the Central Bank of BiH, led by Softić, resisted various political pressures, which most often came from the smaller BiH entity. The Central Bank entered this year 2024 with the highest profit achieved in the history of this institution, which also means that the business results in 2023 are the best in the history of its work.

Softić spoke today in the show ‘Dobar dan BiH’ about the governor's mandate, the functioning of the Central Bank of BiH, and plans for the future.

- I leave with pride for all that has been done in these eight and a half years. We had situations that required quick and quality decisions. We were persistent, dedicated to contributing to stability, which we have achieved. We have left good assumptions for the future work of the new management – said Softić.

He said that the CBBH should not be put in a situation where the Management Board is decided upon at an extraordinary session.

- I was never controversial and it is no surprise to me. Due to the Bank's situation, this should not be done this way – added Softić.

He stated that he knows some members of the Management Board. The names being mentioned could be in a conflict of interest. Several articles of the Law on the Central Bank state that this institution should be apolitical.

Any function is incompatible with political engagement according to the Law on the Central Bank.
The moment the mandate is taken over from tomorrow, it should not be. What is being said does not have to be true. Whoever it is, I wish them successful work. I sent a letter to all management members to submit their report, I signed that material and left it for the new governor when he takes over the mandate. I have been relieved, from tomorrow I will be at the faculty – said Softić.

He also spoke about political pressures on the Central Bank of BiH.

- The CBB is a very important institution for BiH. For eight and a half years, I haven't had a single day of sick leave, we worked constantly. Thanks to preventive measures, we came to a position to think about hundreds of millions of KM in profit. We had unconditional support from all international institutions. When you are a person of your word, you have support, we did not have pressure, thanks to the support of the IMF, we established registers of legal entities. There were no negative pressures – said Softić.

He also said that the years 2020 and 2021 were the most difficult.

- Again, thanks to good preventive activities, we had the necessary money. The CBB instilled confidence in every citizen that there is money, that it is stable. We have capital of almost a billion, I am proud of these results and successes, we introduced innovations in macroeconomic indicators… – stated Softić.

He also addressed the dispute with the Municipality of Centar regarding the construction of the CBBH building in Marin Dvor.

- The CBB is the completely legal owner of the plot in Kranjčevićeva Street. There is no formal or substantive reason why the Municipality of Centar should not honor the contract. It is not a national monument, nor is it a potential archaeological site as was claimed, I don't know why this is not allowed for us.

Unfortunately, it is not in someone's interest. We sued the Municipality of Centar, we asked them to allow us to excavate to determine if it is or not, because we knew we would only find sewage. We were supposed to have a building, Banja Luka has two. We are not to blame for being prevented, someone must pay compensation – said Softić.