At the Health Center, Hiring Was Most Often Done "Without Public Tender"

A witness for the Cantonal Prosecutor's Office in Sarajevo stated at the trial for abuses in public company hiring that consent from the relevant ministry was required for the employment of new staff, detektor.ba reports.

Fuad Husić, Director of the Sarajevo Canton Health Center, explained that there were three possibilities for employment at this institution – a public advertisement, the Employment Service, and the third, most frequently used, direct hiring without public tender, provided the ministry gave its consent.

"I select the candidates and at the end send them to the head of the HR department, while ensuring that the criteria of the Rulebook on Work and the Law on Supplementary Rights of Fighters are met," Husić said.

He recounted that during 2016, he heard about a candidate, Alma Međuseljac, who had independently submitted documentation for a job, and that this happened at a time when units from Ilijaš and Vogošća had sent letters regarding a shortage of staff, doctors, and laboratory technicians.

"I don't know the exact number of applications, but Ilijaš was really 'burning' regarding laboratory technicians. Međuseljac was the only applicant for the laboratory technician position at that time," Husić said, adding that she met the requirements, had work experience, was the child of a martyr, and her husband was unemployed.

Husić noted that he was on vacation when the head of the HR department called him and said he had reviewed the documentation and interviewed the candidate, and a two-month probationary employment contract was made. Later, according to the witness, Međuseljac received a new contract, which was most influenced by the opinion of the unit director on whether the candidate knew how to do the job.

The indictment charges the general secretary of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA), Amir Zukić, as well as Safet Bibić, Nedžad and Senad Trako, Ramiz Karavdić, Esed Džananović, and Asim Sarajlić with illegal mediation in employment in public companies.

Bibić, in addition, is accused of demanding the amount of 20,000 marks from Međuseljac to mediate her employment at the Health Center in Ilijaš.

Another witness, the former head of the HR department at the Sarajevo Canton Health Center, Samir Felak, stated that he had reviewed the documentation submitted by Međuseljac, that he had interviewed her in the summer of 2016, and that at that time she met the conditions for employment.

"The director was on vacation, he had some applications left with him. He called me and told me which candidates should be hired. Before that, the ministry had given consent for the hiring of new personnel," Felak stated.

Both witnesses were adamant that no one had contacted them or influenced them to hire Međuseljac.

The trial continues on December 11.