TI BiH: 500 complaints about theft of humanitarian aid and other irregularities

Transparency International Bosnia and Herzegovina presented reports on citizen complaints regarding abuses in the distribution of aid to flooded areas, as well as findings from field research on the functioning of institutions in the flooded areas, reports the Bosnian news agency Patria.

Citizen complaints, as well as field research, showed that institutions at almost all levels proved incapable of responding to citizens' needs. Attention was drawn to a lack of coordination among institutions, which mutually accused each other of political obstructions, as well as the politicisation of the entire process of distributing funds and aid to flooded areas through inter-party conflicts and the use of aid for pre-election promotion. Field research indicated unequal access to the registration of those affected by the floods and incoming aid, which raised citizens' suspicions about the regularity and objectivity of aid distribution.

Precisely because of this, TI BiH received over 500 calls from citizens who complained about: the sale and theft of humanitarian aid, bias in distribution, irregularities in damage assessment and the allocation of payment cards and vouchers. What is particularly concerning is that citizens were not informed at all by the competent institutions about who is entitled to aid, what the criteria are, and how they can obtain and use aid. This was also expected through the very process of adopting the Law on the RS Solidarity Fund and relevant laws in the FBiH, which was extremely non-transparent and did not initially provide objective criteria for aid distribution. Based on citizen complaints, TI BiH forwarded 23 complaints to relevant institutions – the police and the Republika Srpska Commission for Damage Assessment – and in several cases, the institutions forwarded the complaints to the competent prosecutor's offices.

Finally, the complete absence of a strategic approach by the authorities in BiH for the upcoming period is also concerning, reflected in the lack and non-publication of procedures for the use of funds collected through the Donor Conference, and the absence of a reconstruction plan, not only for infrastructure and residential