Old Practice and New Advisor for Lidija Bradara

Lidija Bradara, Speaker of the House of Peoples of the FBiH Parliament, has appointed another advisor who does not meet the legal requirements for the position. The appointment followed the resignation of one of the eight previously appointed advisors.

Lidija Bradara, Speaker of the House of Peoples of the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (PFBiH), has appointed Mika Lešić as an advisor, even though he does not meet the legal requirements for this position.

Lešić has not passed the professional exam for civil servants, as stipulated by the Law on Civil Service of the FBiH. Although advisors are not civil servants, their employment requirements are identical to those for civil servants. These requirements are specified by a special decree which stipulates that advisors must have a high level of education, have passed a professional exam, and have work experience.

Speaker Bradara appointed Lešić in October 2017, two months after the Center for Investigative Journalism (CIN) published a story about illegally appointed advisors. Journalists discovered that five of her eight advisors did not have the required years of work experience, which is also not in compliance with federal regulations.

Lešić was appointed as an advisor to the Speaker of the House for the Club of the Serb People after advisor Jelena Kunić resigned. At least 8,500 KM has been allocated from the federal budget for his engagement so far. In a previous conversation with CIN, Bradara said that she chooses young, promising, and the best students of their generation as advisors. This time, she did not answer our calls.

This sixty-seven-year-old mechanical engineer confirmed to CIN journalists that he has not passed the professional exam. "I don't have it. And whether I need to take it, no one has told me that either," says Lešić, adding that he has passed a professional exam at the Association of Engineers. The House of Peoples confirmed that he did not submit his CV during his employment.

Lešić was a delegate in the House of Peoples of the FBiH Parliament in the mandate from 2006 to 2010. He was delegated by the Assembly of Posavina Canton from the Serb people. He was a member of the Social Democratic Party of BiH and president of the Municipal Board of that party in Odžak. During his mandate in the House of Peoples, he switched to the People's Party for Work for Betterment (NSRZB).

Lešić was one of the least active delegates in the House of Peoples. After proposing an amendment that would grant delegates the right to a preferential pension, he was expelled from NSRZB. For a time, he was a member of the Croatian Democratic Union of BiH.

Lešić has been working as an advisor in the Club of the Serb People for five months. His job is to mediate between Speaker Bradara and this club.

"My working life is coming to an end. I want to finish it gentlemanly now," said Lešić.