In fear of the Prosecutor's Office investigation, Konaković denies his own signature and says: 'I was joking'

(Patria) - The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Elmedin Konaković, said that he "was joking" when he stated at the BiH Council of Ministers that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had engaged a lobbying firm in the USA. Appearing again on Face TV, he said that he was recently heard by the BiH Prosecutor's Office regarding the lobbying case, writes Istraga.ba

“They called me to the BiH Prosecutor's Office a month ago as a witness. I didn't know what the case was about. When I arrived, the prosecutor and her investigator were professional. They told me, is this your statement on Klix where I said that Kajganić (Chief State Prosecutor, ed.) opened an investigation against me personally because I joked at the BiH Council of Ministers that lobbying in America goes through the BiH Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that I personally signed that contract. That is impossible because I do not have that position. It would be illegal if I did,” Konaković said on Saturday evening.

The fact that it might have been a joke is also shown by the date Konaković released the story about engaging a lobbying firm. Namely, the BiH Minister of Foreign Affairs first spoke about lobbying in the USA at a press conference held with the Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Feridun H. Sinirlioğlu on World Joke Day – April 1, 2025.

“We have pre-signed and a lobbying firm in the USA, which we found thanks to BiH people living there, will become operational very soon,” Konaković said on April 1, 2025.

The joking minister then continued with his jokes. On April 6, he informed Klix journalists that the Ministry had officially engaged a lobbying firm in the USA.

“The BiH Ministry of Foreign Affairs has engaged successful American businessmen of BiH origin in the United States who have signed a contract with a prestigious lobbying firm with the aim of bringing BiH and the USA closer and improving their relations,” read the introduction to the text, which was illustrated with appropriate photos of Minister Elmedin Konaković with lobbyist Almas Šehić.

Istraga.ba, we remind you, published on April 13 this year that Konaković's lobbying had failed because part of the money, paid to the lobbyists' account on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by private companies, was returned to BiH due to suspicions of money laundering.

Almas Šehić and his friend Mirza Pilaković found themselves in trouble, as we learned, when payments for "lobbying" were made to their accounts. This money, according to Istraga's information, was collected by entrepreneurs from BiH. However, the problem is the fact that the contracting party was the BiH Ministry of Foreign Affairs and that the contract stated that "lobbying" for Bosnia and Herzegovina would be carried out free of charge. Therefore, it was unclear to anyone in the banking sector on what basis the entrepreneurs paid money for lobbying, if they did not sign such a contract. And so, in short, the deal of the century of Minister Elmedin Konaković failed.

Konaković reacted the same day with a Facebook post, accusing Istraga.ba of undermining the lobbying process for Bosnia and Herzegovina together with Milorad Dodik. However, when the BiH Prosecutor's Office formed a case due to suspicions that everything was done illegally, Konaković stated at the hearing that he was "just joking".

“Kajganić (Chief State Prosecutor, ed.) opened an investigation against me personally because I joked at the BiH Council of Ministers that lobbying in America goes through the BiH Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that I personally signed that contract. That is impossible because I do not have that position. It would be illegal if I did,” said Konaković.

The documentation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also shows that this was not just a joke. This is the contract that the BiH Ministry of Foreign Affairs signed on March 28 with the Bosnian-American Alliance, led by businessmen whose business is "air conditioning repair".



Therefore, it is clear that Elmedin Konaković signed, certified, and registered a contract with a lobbying firm under a protocol number in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on March 28. Now, however, he claims that it is "impossible" because it would be "illegal if he had signed the contract". However, the contract exists. Certified, signed, and registered. And Konaković himself will say – illegal.