Apartment purchase agreement in Titova confirms Benjamina Karić defrauded the state and lied to citizens: Why are the services protecting her?

(Patria) - The apartment purchased by the Mayor of Sarajevo, Benjamina Karić (SDP), has an actual area of 135.68 square meters, is located on Maršala Tita street – the very center of the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo, and cost only 300,000 KM.

This is stated in the apartment sale and purchase agreement, which is in the possession of the Patria News Agency.

This agreement confirms all previous media reports, specifically from Valter portal, which published a story some time ago about Karić buying 70 square meters for less than the market price and in secret, while receiving 136 square meters of illegally renovated apartment in the city center.

In her defense, Karić told Klix on July 8 that the apartment was paid for with 300,000 KM, but did not explain why the apartment was sold below market price, but the second part of her statement is now completely clear.

"Since the apartment was on sale for an exceptionally long time, Aura Real Estate was selling the apartment. My husband and I currently live in a 50-square-meter apartment, and due to family expansion, we decided to look for something more adequate for everyone," said Karić.

It is quite logical that the apartment was on sale for a long time, because who would pay money for an illegal 65 square meters. Ordinary citizens do not have the luxury, like those in positions of power, to be sure that they will be able to legalize illegal construction!

For Karić, there are apparently no obstacles, although the notary Mia Softić Vinšalek also warns about this fact in the agreement. Also, it is now clear that Karić will pay taxes on 70 square meters, even though she received a significantly larger apartment.

"The notary informs the buyer that based on this agreement, they will only be able to obtain registration of ownership in the land registry entry 6728, Cadastral Municipality Sarajevo IV – a two-room apartment with an area of 70 square meters, and that for the purpose of registering ownership of the additional area of the annexed attic space, they will have to obtain approval from the competent municipal services, perform floor division/re-division with a division agreement to establish floor ownership concluded with other floor owners of the building in question," the agreement states.

Notary informed Karić about the apartment's shortcomings

The land registry extract also proves this. The apartment is still registered as 70 square meters.

Apartment registered as 70 square meters

Shortly before purchasing this apartment, the Mayor fictitiously transferred her place of residence to Grbavica, and it remains unclear with what document, as it is known that at the time of registration she did not have a land registry proving she owned part of the apartment on Topal Osman paša street, because a preliminary registration for the apartment was made in 2017 to another person, and everything was returned to its original state only in September 2024.

Judicial and police authorities have not yet reacted and conducted checks ex officio, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Sarajevo Canton has never responded to Patria's inquiry on the basis of which document (since she did not have a land registry) Benjamina Karić registered at the new address at the beginning of 2024. Thus, we were left without an answer, but also without an investigation into the violation of the BiH Law on Residence. Of course, no answer arrived, because the head of this Ministry is NIP's Admir Katica, who strongly supports Karić and her candidacy for the mayor of Novi Grad, which is why she needed a residence in this municipality.

But, the fact that Karić is untouchable is also evidenced by this apartment purchase in Titova street.

Because the illegally renovated apartment she bought is located in a building that is a national monument, or rather, it is within the scope of the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL). And only the roof of this building has been renovated in the entire street.

Renovated roof in the building where the mayor bought the apartment

Otherwise, such buildings are protected by the state and its institutions, and any intervention, especially reconstruction, is not allowed without prior consents and permits.

Mayor Karić, therefore, bought a five-room apartment, practically below market price, in a building whose facade renovation was subsequently included in the public procurement plan during her apartment search, for the interior renovation and expansion of which (by as much as 65 square meters) the necessary approvals were not obtained, which she had to know – and undoubtedly knew, Valter wrote.

And that this does not bother her is confirmed by the agreement in Article 3. Responsibility for legal and material defects

"The buyer is informed that the actual area of the apartment in nature is larger than the area in the land registry entry," the agreement states.

Karić was informed about the actual area of the apartment
As is already known, at the time of Benjamina Karić's negotiations for the purchase of the apartment with the previous owner Sejdo Sejdi, the facade reconstruction at Titova 19 was subsequently and with priority included in the public procurement plan, which was amended because of it.

The ball is now in the court of the Municipal Services and Inspections of the Centar Municipality, and the public will certainly closely monitor the registration of the illegal 65 square meters created in the national monument!

We now wonder if the slogan 'we continue responsibly' under which SDP and Karić are promoting themselves in this campaign is just a bad joke or a sign that 'responsibly' for them only means realizing personal interests and those of individuals close to them.