Unis Group files criminal charges over blocked arms exports to Ukraine

The company Unis Group d.o.o Ilidža today filed a criminal complaint against all responsible persons because it did not receive a permit to export weapons worth 10 million BAM, reports the Bosnian news agency Patria.

As stated in Unis's announcement, the complaint is filed against all responsible officials who in this way damaged the reputation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the business world and caused incalculable material damage that cannot be financially quantified, given that future contracts that were planned will collapse, and BiH will lose a large number of jobs. 

Unis Group accuses the Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ermina Salkičević - Dizdarević, of having "consciously and deliberately disavowed them", because at a meeting she convened on her own initiative, she promised to resolve this problem by January 30, 2015. 

As this did not happen and Unis Group did not receive the necessary permit for the export of weapons and military equipment, this company decided to file a criminal complaint due to causing incalculable material damage. 

Unis notes that this company submitted the request for the said permit with contracts and all necessary documentation on September 29, 2014, and that the Ministry, in accordance with the law, should have responded to the request and issued the permit within 60 days, and within an additional period of 30 days, the Ministry was obliged to carry out all checks and reviews of the given approvals, as well as all other disputed, open issues within the legal deadline from November 29, 2014 to December 29, 2014, and after that issue the permit to this company, and after the expiration of the legal deadline, it has no right to any delays or withholdings on this matter, reviews, nor can it present any opinions or issue any acts after December 29, 2014, given that the law does not allow it.

- The political aspect that can be heard from the statements of some Ministry officials and politicians could have been relevant only at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of BiH when deciding on granting approval by this body, which was completed by the act of issuing the approval, which was submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH. Also, we note that the Presidency of BiH, after the issuance of the act by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has no jurisdiction over this matter. The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations is obliged to act in accordance with the law and cannot, as it is trying to do in this case, undertake activities that are within the exclusive competence of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of BiH - state from Unis Group.