Prosecution investigating: Who is to blame for the collapse of Sarajevo Canton's medicinal reserves worth 700,000 KM

Medicinal reserves purchased with the budget funds of Sarajevo Canton, worth nearly 700,000 KM, have expired and must be destroyed, as the medicines have mostly passed their expiry dates, writes the Patria news agency.

The medicinal reserves must be replenished, but the question is who will be held responsible for the situation. The Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office, which has opened an investigation, will certainly look into this.

-The Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office has formed a case. Allegations from the report are being verified in order to determine any potential criminal offenses or responsibilities. Given the current stage of the case, we are unable to provide further information at this time – stated Azra Bavčić, spokesperson for the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office.

Otherwise, the Canton and the City of Sarajevo have no usable doses of medicine or sanitary materials in their reserves. All medicines were intended for citizens in case of an epidemic or disaster, as they were ultimately purchased with their money.

The Public Institution Pharmacies of Sarajevo, the Directorate for Commodity Reserves of Sarajevo Canton, and the Ministry of Health of Sarajevo Canton, through a signed agreement, are obligated to care for the reserves, and are now shifting blame to each other for the situation.

The Minister of Health of Sarajevo Canton, Zilha Ademaj, previously told Al Jazeera that she was unaware of the problem with the medicinal reserves when she took office.

- I first encountered this issue when I read the report of the Public Institution Pharmacies of Sarajevo for 2015, which clearly showed that an inventory of the commodity reserves stored at the Public Institution Pharmacies of Sarajevo had not been conducted – said Ademaj.

However, besides the 700,000 KM of citizens' money that has gone to waste, an additional amount will be needed for waste disposal, and at this moment, it is unknown who will take responsibility and who will pay for the new 700,000 KM.

Although the Directorate for Commodity Reserves wishes to distance itself from this case, it is clear that this is their legal responsibility. They carry out procurement with funds from the budget, monitor the further flow of medicines, and must do so in agreement with the institution qualified to store such goods.