Wind farm Ivan Sedlo built through dubious deals and illegal concessions on state property!

By Rasim Belko

At Ivan Sedlo, a mountain pass located between Konjic and Sarajevo, a wind farm under the brand of the company Interwind doo Hadžići was put into operation this year. The story of this wind farm began back in 2008 and from its inception to its realization, it has been accompanied by suspicious activities.

The entire story was initiated by the Danish company Suzlon Wind Energy, whose offer was accepted by the Municipal Council of Hadžići on August 21, 2008, long before the company itself was founded. Because Suzlon Wind Energy was registered on April 10, 2009, the question arises whether the municipal councilors in Hadžići, led by SDA and mayor Hamdo Ejubović at the time, were clairvoyant or if something else was at play.

Interestingly, in October 2010, Suzlon Wind Energy sold the project that led to the start of construction to the Slovenian company “Interenergo”, which is owned by the Austrian Kelag Group. Since then, “Wind Farm Interwind” has continued to work on the project, and Interenergo owns 97 percent of it, while Emina Delić owns 3 percent and is the director.

One address on the sign, another in the registry

Both companies, which brought a supposedly multi-million investment to Bosnia and Herzegovina, were registered at the address Hadželi 129, which is essentially a billiard and video game club.

Similarly, a private dental practice at the same street number 117 served the same purpose as the billiard club. Today, you have the company Interwind registered with its headquarters at Hadželi 129, and the address Hadželi 117 is listed at the entrance to the Ivan Sedlo wind farm. Up to five companies have been registered at that address.

"Prominent company" on A4 format and on the premises of a private dental practice (address: Hadželi 117)
Even when Suzlon Wind was seeking permits almost two decades ago, some representatives in the Sarajevo Canton Assembly sought answers, but received none, as everything was obviously well-orchestrated.

On May 23, 2018, the then Minister of Economy of the Sarajevo Canton, Muharem Šabić, signed an agreement with the director of Suzlon Wind Energy, granting the company concessions for 30 years with the possibility of extension for another 15.

“The project has multiple meanings. Annually, we will get 25 MWh of clean energy produced here, and this power can be compared to that of the Salakovac hydroelectric power plant. On the other hand, we are protecting the environment. There is also the economic benefit of this project for the Sarajevo Canton and the local community, measured in tens of millions of KM, and new jobs are also being created,” Minister Šabić lied to the Sarajevo public at the time.

Because, in order to obtain “clean” energy, the investors have de facto destroyed the ecosystem of Ivan Sedlo, causing serious damage to flora and fauna. On the other hand, the profit from electricity does not go to the Sarajevo Canton, so it is nonsensical for government representatives to defend themselves in that way. As for the workers, we found two guards at the Ivan Sedlo wind farm site, employed through a company from Herzegovina. Further down, in front of the facilities from which the wind farm is managed, according to Patria's sources, vehicles with Croatian license plates are most often seen.

Therefore, no money, no jobs, and no clean energy. After all, where there are no clean dealings, there can be no clean energy.

After Šabić's contract, on February 19, 2021, an Annex was signed by the new relevant minister Adnan Delić and Samir Džaferbegović, the new director of Suzlon Wind, who, according to informed sources, used to sell cards for watching Bosnian channels in Denmark and has nothing to do with wind energy.

Delić, in the company of Džaferbegović and the then mayor of Hadžići, Hamdo Ejubović (SDA), appeared at Ivan Sedlo on February 26, 2022, when the start of construction of the wind farm was officially marked. It should be noted that in the meantime, some other annexes related to concessions were signed, but neither the contract nor the annexes have seen the light of day to this day, although we requested information from the relevant ministry.

The Ivan Sedlo wind farm was put into operation in May this year, but it is interesting that the Ministry of Economy of the Sarajevo Canton does not want to answer the question of how much concession rent has been paid to this canton for 2025. Because, according to what we heard from Ejubović in February 2022, the Canton should receive 200,000 KM, and the Municipality of Hadžići 300,000 KM.

“That is a good amount, considering we haven't invested anything,” Ejubović said at Ivan Sedlo in February 2022. Perhaps for him, it means nothing that, in collusion with the cantonal authorities in Sarajevo, he squandered state property without asking the owner of that property. And it is easiest to dispose of other people's property, Ejubović probably meant that, whose son was the main project manager at Suzlon Wind.

The entire story should have a judicial epilogue, given that investigative proceedings are underway in the case of the Ivan Sedlo Wind Farm.

“The Office for the Fight against Corruption of the Sarajevo Canton acted on the report, as well as on the request of the competent prosecutor's office regarding the project in question. Given that this is a prosecutorial matter, we are currently unable to provide additional information in order to protect the integrity of the procedure,” the response from the Office for the Fight against Corruption states regarding whether they acted in the Ivan Sedlo case.

We still don't know what stage that investigation is in, but we managed to find out that the authorities in the Sarajevo Canton issue concessions based on Article 55 of the Law on Forests of the Sarajevo Canton, which is completely unconstitutional, and here's why.

Article 55 of the Law on Forests of the Sarajevo Canton defines the right of servitude on state forest and forest land, but it does not state anywhere, nor can a wind farm be considered a right of servitude.

We asked experts in the field of state property whether the KS Government can issue a concession on state property without asking the state as the owner of the land for permission. Our answer did not surprise us, because for a concession to be legal, the state as the owner must give its consent.

At the same time, our sources claim that the state's consent is necessary because the land use is changing, meaning that any deforestation represents a change in land use.

Excerpt from the cadastre
And then they mention that the change in land use is contrary to the Law on the Temporary Prohibition of Disposal of State Property, according to the interpretation of the OHR of November 15, 2023.

Official data we obtained show that approximately 150,000 square meters of state property have been cleared and granted under concession solely for the needs of the wind farm.

So, where Milorad Dodik stopped, the authorities in the Sarajevo Canton continued.

(to be continued)