KS Government Appoints Former Directors Muzur and Babić as Representatives in ViK and Rad Companies

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - At its eighth session held on April 9, 2020, the KS Government dismissed representatives in the public utility companies "Vodovod i kanalizacija" and "Rad", appointing, among others, former directors of these companies, Selim Babić and Azra Muzur, to their positions. The Our Party caucus in the KS Assembly considers this "a continuation of the policy that has brought these companies to the brink of collapse".

Both Muzur and Babić will review last year's company reports, which partly relate to the period when they held directorial positions. This is a conflict of interest. Our Party representatives have listed a number of other issues that disqualify Babić and Muzur for the positions to which they have been appointed:

"The fact that the Government, in the midst of a pandemic and less than a month after their appointment, is dealing with personnel changes to avoid public scrutiny focused on coronavirus events, speaks to how questionable these solutions are. In 'Rad', no tender procedures were carried out until 2018. Selim Babić was director for 17 years, and no employment could have occurred without his approval. Many sectors of 'Rad' operated at a huge loss, for which he is also responsible. We remind you that when the 'six' came to power in KS, a weekend house on Bjelašnica worth one million KM was discovered, registered as a resort for 'Rad' employees, but no employee ever saw it. Garbage collection was not charged to party-affiliated business entities. Irregularities are numerous, and lawsuits have been filed with the KS Prosecutor's Office for some of them. What particularly saddens us is the announced abolition of salary incentives for utility workers in 'Rad', which the previous Government granted them. This act is particularly inhumane now, during the coronavirus pandemic, when they are exposed to additional risks," stated Our Party.

As Our Party further points out, the situation in "Vodovod" under Azra Muzur's leadership was similar to that in "Rad" under Babić's leadership.

"There were also illegal hirings, non-collection of water fees from party-affiliated business entities, millions in damages in water drainage, and also lawsuits awaiting resolution. The delay in the realization of the EBRD loan due to an internal error in the tender procedure, which resulted in penalties being paid, should be particularly highlighted, but the entire credit arrangement of that company was also jeopardized due to the director's negligent operations," said Our Party.

The current Prime Minister of the KS Government, Mario Nenadić, also bears responsibility for the appointment of Babić and Muzur to the mentioned positions.

"He announced a decisive fight against corruption. With such personnel, he will definitely not be able to achieve it. If his intention is sincere, he can prove it by dismissing Babić and Muzur if he was unaware of their appointment. If he does not distance himself from them, he will be the biggest culprit for the further collapse of these two once respectable Sarajevo companies, which, with the previous Government, had regained a chance for success. It is up to Nenadić whether this hope for their recovery will be returned to the citizens."