Prosecutorial team reviewing Medical Faculty operations: Čavaljuga to be dean again?

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The legal team of Professor Ismet Gavrankapetanović has received a response from the Federal Prosecutor's Office, specifically from prosecutor Suada Salkić, regarding the report filed with that prosecutor's office in August 2018 against the then dean of the Faculty of Medicine in Sarajevo, Semra Čavaljuga, members of the University of Sarajevo's Steering Board, UNSA Rector Rifat Škrijelj, the Faculty of Medicine UNSA, the University of Sarajevo, and unknown persons who, by exploiting their political position in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, facilitated the accused to perform an official act they should not have, or to fail to perform an official act they were obliged to perform, and which also pointed out the inefficiency of the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office regarding the same report.

Prosecutor Salkić states that the Federal Prosecutor's Office received a response from the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office stating that a case file was opened on September 13, 2018, regarding Professor Gavrankapetanović's report, and that the said report has not been resolved because four addendums to the report were submitted in the meantime.

"So far, extensive material documentation has been obtained for the case, and given the complexity of the case, and the fact that the assigned prosecutor was absent for six weeks due to illness, a prosecutorial team was formed on 06.02.2019 in order to work as quickly and efficiently as possible," the response states.

The Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office had previously confirmed to Patria that documentation regarding the case of Professor Ismet Gavrankapetanović was requested from the UNSA Rectorate, the Faculty of Medicine, and the Steering Board. The report against Dean Čavaljuga and others concerned criminal offenses of abuse of position or authority, dereliction of duty, illegal mediation, violation of equality in employment, and violation of employment rights under the Criminal Code of the Federation of BiH. It also states that the reported individuals committed these criminal offenses and that unknown persons exerted undue influence on the accused by inciting and assisting in the commission of these criminal offenses.

Prof. Gavrankapetanović was dismissed from the Faculty after he moved from the University Clinical Center Sarajevo (KCUS) to work as an orthopedist at the General Hospital in early 2018. In addition to Gavrankapetanović, contracts were also terminated at the Faculty with several other professors and assistants who left KCUS around the same time to work in other healthcare institutions. The Steering Board made a decision that full professors must have employment at the Faculty of Medicine, but Professor Gavrankapetanović has not been reinstated in the teaching process to date.

Čavaljuga to be dean of the Faculty of Medicine again?

While the prosecutorial team is working on the case, at the same time, Čavaljuga, who was suspended by Rector Škrijelj in November 2018, dismissed by the Steering Board in December, and then re-elected dean by the Senate at the end of December, which was annulled by the UNSA Rector, has again applied for the position of dean of the Faculty of Medicine. She was also the only candidate in the competition. The Rector himself filed a report with the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office for false representation by Dr. Semra Čavaljuga.

Incidentally, the Commission for conducting the procedure for the election of the dean of the Faculty of Medicine includes: Amira Redžić, Sebija Izetbegović, Svjetlana Loga-Zec, Enra Mehmedika-Suljić, Mirsad Dorić.

At the next session, it is certain that Čavaljuga will be elected dean, despite being burdened by several criminal complaints, illegal proceedings, and causing damage to the reputation of the Faculty of Medicine and the University of Sarajevo.