The Dragon from the Tower: How Radončić, with Čović and Dodik, Undermined BiH Institutions

(Patria) - When the migrant crisis escalated in BiH in the summer of last year, Fahrudin Radončić decided to resign from his position as Minister of Security. When Milorad Dodik began his attacks on the President of the Court of BiH, Fahrudin Radončić joined him. When Nenad Stevandić, along with HDZ cadres, launched the "Ušće Affair" with the intention of removing the Director of the Intelligence-Security Agency of BiH, Osman Mehmedagić, Fahrudin Radončić supported them, writes Avdo Avdić for Istraga.ba.

When "citizens" set fire to the Presidency building and other BiH institutions, Radončić and his media were with them. When "demobilized fighters" blocked roads around Sarajevo, Radončić supported the blockades. When mining union activists, with false information, initiated worker disobedience, undermining the federal energy sector, Fahrudin Radončić supported their actions. When Gordana Tadić, with the support of SNSD cadres, began to fabricate charges against Dragan Mektić, Radončić supported the BiH Prosecutor's Office.

When the Croatian SOA recruited BiH citizens to work for the intelligence agency of a neighboring country – Radončić supported SOA. When Aleksandar Vučić's Serbian police first arrested and then released BiH citizens, Radončić thanked Vučić. When the Central Election Commission of BiH was taken away from Dragan Čović and Milorad Dodik, Fahrudin Radončić objected. When negotiations on amendments to the Election Law opened, Fahrudin Radončić publicly advocated for "legitimate representation." When a former US diplomat in BiH began to speak publicly about Naser Keljmendi's crimes, Fahrudin Radončić launched a media campaign against him. Those who do not believe and want proof can see for themselves in the rest of the text.

The Migrant Crisis and Migration to the Adriatic

"Dodik: BiH Ambassador to Pakistan Issued Fake Visas," read the headline of an article published on the RTRS portal on May 15, 2020.

In the following paragraph, we quote the RTRS text.

"The BiH Presidency member from the Serb people, Milorad Dodik, said as a guest on our television's program 'Aktuelno' that he discovered that at a recent meeting of the Presidency, representatives of the Ministry of Security in the Council of Ministers presented data that the BiH Ambassador to Pakistan, who is Bosniak, falsified entry visas for 3,000 Pakistanis who entered BiH and who pose a serious security problem."

The same information would be presented a few days later by the leader of the HDZ BiH, Dragan Čović.

"We have these 3,000-plus people with fake visas," Čović said after a meeting with Dodik, which was also reported by the Zagreb-based Jutarnji list.

Dodik and Čović based their story on Fahrudin Radončić's claims.

"I am telling you here that 3,000 people from Pakistan have arrived in the past 24 months with falsified visas from our embassy in Pakistan," Radončić said at a session of the BiH Presidency.

The same claims were also published by the Belgrade-based Novosti, which based its story about fake visas and Pakistanis on statements by Milorad Dodik, Dragan Čović, and Fahrudin Radončić. The claims of these three leaders were commented on by "terrorism expert" Dževad Galijašević.

"These are Pakistani soldiers. They are making a long-term strategy. They expelled the Soviet Red Army from Afghanistan with the Taliban movement in this way. If there is a state of BiH, it should show the Pakistani ambassador the door and it should get data from Pakistan about 3,000 people with false identities," Dževad Galijašević told Novosti.rs.

The Istinomjer portal noted that there was no official confirmation that these visas were ever issued. However, the story about the Pakistanis remained a topic in Radončić's Avaz, and the BiH Prosecutor's Office, headed by Gordana Tadić, also got involved. The investigation was never concluded, and Fahrudin Radončić, in the meantime, resigned from his position as BiH Minister of Security.

"I asked for the migrant crisis to be resolved through legal deportations and emphasized that we have a problem with Pakistan and the Pakistani ambassador who does not want to help us legitimize over 9,500 illegal migrants who pose a huge security risk," said SBB leader Fahrudin Radončić at the time.

After stepping down, Radončić, through Avaz, referred to migrants passing through BiH as "Šefik's gang."

At the same time, Fahrudin Radončić, as BiH Minister of Security, never reacted to the illegal transfer of migrants from Croatia to BiH, which was reported by numerous world media. On the contrary, Radončić stated that it was important for BiH that the Croatian border be impenetrable.

"It is extremely important for us as Bosnia and Herzegovina that the Croatian border is absolutely impenetrable to illegal migrants, for security and all other reasons. If that border is impenetrable, it's not just a benefit that Croatia will achieve its goals on the path to Schengen, but we will achieve a pragmatic position that the route through Bosnia and Herzegovina will no longer be so attractive and that they will avoid us," Radončić said during a visit to Zagreb.

An impenetrable Croatian border meant that migrants would remain in the Una-Sana Canton. But that was no longer Radončić's problem because he had traveled to Montenegro, to his summer residence with a fireplace.

Attack on the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina

"That president of the Court is in some very suspicious circumstances, and there are indications that he received some cases as bribes and corruption. He is likely conditioned by that service and gives consent for people to be listened to without legal basis," said Milorad Dodik, member of the BiH Presidency, on September 9, 2020.

Speaking at a press conference, he accused the President of the Court of BiH, Ranko Debevec, of having "unlimited power to give consent to Osmica for wiretapping."

"The President of the Court is a Spanish citizen and has a Spanish name and surname and did not report it when he registered here. How is it possible that he hides this information. We checked with the competent Spanish authorities, and it is true. I am a politician and I qualify these processes as a violation of the law and abuse of office," Dodik said.

The SNSD leader called on journalists to check the story about Debevec, and Avaz and Srna began intensive investigations. Two days later, SRNA published a news item that a report had been filed against Debevec, which Avaz immediately reported.

"What is problematic about the Spanish citizenship of the President of the Court of BiH?" RTRS investigated, while Avaz investigated "Kaveson's new deceptions," referring to the President of the Court of BiH, Ranko Debevec.

The coordinated action of Dodik's and Radončić's media resulted in the initiation of disciplinary proceedings against the President of the Court of BiH, but he was eventually acquitted.

Radončić's Support for SOA

It was March 2019 when the story broke that the Croatian intelligence agency SOA was recruiting BiH citizens to work for them. One of the recruited BiH citizens, a Salafist named Harun Čelenka, said he was offered to plant weapons in a Zenica mosque. The director of SOA, Daniel Markić, admitted that the Croatian service had contacts with H.Č.

"We pointed out a person who was suspect to us; we leave it to them to clarify. We spoke with H.Č., we know who he is," said Markić.

All Croatian media then began to "debunk" this story, siding with their country's intelligence agency. However, Radončić's Avaz followed closely.

"Services in BiH are teaching Wahhabis how to testify falsely," read the headline in Avaz, published on March 27, 2019.

This was an article "borrowed" from the Croatian portal "express.hr," which accused the BiH intelligence service of politicization in the case of the "Salafist."

When the director of SOA admitted contacts with the witness H.Č. (Harun Čelenka), all media, except one, highlighted this in their headlines. Avaz chose to frame the article differently.

"Director of SOA on accusations from BiH: What is happening is interesting and shocking," read Avaz's headline.

A month later, a complete reversal of the narrative followed. Although the director of SOA admitted that they "had contact" with Harun Čelenka, Avaz, in its article of April 27, revealed that "Mektić's witness is a dangerous radical."

"We reveal who H. Č. is, who was allegedly recruited by SOA: Mektić's key witness is a dangerous radical and ISIS member! This is Harun Čelenka from Zenica, who supports the Islamic State," Avaz reported.

Dodik, Čović, and Radončić Against OSA

"Avaz: Director of OBA illegally dismissed Savić," read the RTRS portal on March 7, 2019. The article further stated that on February 12 of that year, the Court of BiH issued a final verdict accepting the lawsuit of Dragan Savić, an employee of the Intelligence-Security Agency of BiH, whom Osman Mehmedagić Osmica, the director of this agency, illegally dismissed in June 2017 for "disclosing state secrets." And who is Dragan Savić? For those who haven't followed closely, Savić was reported to the BiH Prosecutor's Office for "stealing" OSA documents, which were later presented at a press conference in Banja Luka by Nenad Stevandić.

The Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska spoke about the affair that arose after media reports that OSA was wiretapping Serbian officials. Stevandić also presented OSA documents at a press conference. Fahrudin Radončić was a member of the Commission for Oversight of OSA's Work. Although he stated publicly that OSA had no offensive operations against Serbia, Radončić stated in Commission meetings that he partially supported the positions of officials from the RS. Later, the SBB leader intensified his pressure on OSA officials, aligning with the positions of Milorad Dodik and Dragan Čović.

At a press conference held on July 12, 2017, Čović and Dodik spoke against the Intelligence-Security Agency of BiH.

"OSA is a hostile organization that works to the detriment of the Serb and Croat peoples," said SNSD President Milorad Dodik.

"OSA is not doing its job," said Dragan Čović, President of HDZ BiH.

Two days after Dodik and Čović's press conference in Mostar, Božidar Spasić, former head of the special team of the Yugoslav State Security Service, also addressed the public through Euroblic. This former high-ranking DB official also accused OSA of illegally wiretapping high-ranking officials of Serbia and Croatia.

"Serbian security services have long known that OSA is wiretapping about 300 politicians and officials in BiH, Serbia, and Croatia. The wiretapping equipment was purchased in Turkey, so it is very possible that the collected data on Serbian and Croatian officials, besides being on Bakir Izetbegović's desk, also ends up in Ankara. The statements by Dodik and Čović, who call OSA an enemy and an agency run by para-intelligence centers, were not made without reason. They certainly came across that information," said Spasić.

Here's What Fahrudin Radončić Said About OSA

"Osmica is abusing the intelligence system; as the director of OSA, he cannot have mundane connections with people linked to terrorism," Radončić said.

The Herzegovina portal Poskok.info, in August 2017, published Radončić's statement regarding the Intelligence-Security Agency of BiH.

"Mr. Osman Mehmedagić (Director of OSA) and his political mentor Mr. Bakir Izetbegović want to manipulate the Commission to place OSA, which should be focused on detecting terrorism, under their control, not parliamentary control. I have just returned from a hearing where four agents watched who was coming to listen to Radončić's hearing. That's how deviant that service has become," Radončić said, as reported by Poskok.

Radončić's Avaz intensively wrote for months about the director of the Intelligence-Security Agency, demanding his dismissal.

Radončić and the Election Law

"I think it's okay for Croats to elect their legitimate representative," Fahrudin Radončić said on July 12 this year, commenting on the positions of Croatian President Zoran Milanović for N1 TV.

"I saw," Radončić said, "that Mr. Konaković received harsh criticism from a part of the political public because he said it's not okay for Bosniaks to elect the Croat member of the Presidency, and I think Konaković is right. We have been trying to solve this issue for ten years, and I am convinced that we will solve it."

The portal Poskok.info made sure that it wasn't just Sarajevo media. Speaking about amendments to the Election Law, Radončić again supported the positions of HDZ BiH at the SBB Congress.

"Bosniaks have elected two members of the BiH Presidency three times. If this happens a fourth time, it would mean that Croats, despite being a constituent people, have suffered and felt discrimination for 16 years," said Radončić, as reported by Poskok.info.

Dodik, Čović, and Radončić Against the New CIK Composition

"The Central Election Commission of BiH lacks legitimacy," Fahrudin Radončić said on May 21 last year, expressing dissatisfaction that, without the votes of SNSD and HDZ BiH, five members of the CIK were elected two months earlier, by whose election Milorad Dodik and Dragan Čović lost control over that strategic institution.

"On the one hand, you have a legalistic concept that elections should be held and must be held. On the other hand, the CIK is composed of five party figures. You have two from SDS, two from SDA, and DF, and that commission loses its legitimacy," Radončić said, as reported by RTRS.

Here's what Dragan Čović and Milorad Dodik said about the new CIK composition.

"The CIK was not elected in accordance with the law and makes illegal decisions," said Milorad Dodik on January 22 this year, while insulting the "illegitimate" Serb members of the CIK.

"We said earlier, if this composition of the CIK remains, the General Elections next year will be questionable and very difficult to hold. We, of course, have a plan for rigorous action, but we also believe that we can maintain dialogue," Dodik said in April this year.

"SIP (Central Election Commission) is an illegal institution and cannot guarantee a democratic process," said HDZ leader Dragan Čović in July last year.

"SIP BiH should be dismissed," said Dragan Čović at a press conference held on January 15 this year.

Radončić, Dodik, and Čović: Support for Gordana Tadić

"Nervous today. We cannot live in a country where you can threaten the chief prosecutor and her family completely with impunity. This also happened to my judges; in both proceedings, they were threatened with everything being destroyed, and no one ever investigated it," said Fahrudin Radončić at a press conference held on June 1 last year.

The SBB president said at the time that Gordana Tadić was threatened. He was a witness for the BiH Prosecutor's Office in the "fake assassination attempt" case against Gordana Tadić, while Dnevni avaz, until her final dismissal, fully supported Gordana Tadić.

"One of the main reasons why they are trying to dismiss Chief Prosecutor Ms. Gordana Tadić at all costs is the continuation of the attempt to hide the perpetrators of Dženan's murder and those who obstructed the investigation," Radončić said on September 6 this year, which was also published on the SBB portal.

After Gordana Tadić was dismissed, Dragan Čović's HNS issued a statement directly defending the former chief prosecutor.

"The violent dismissal of state prosecutor Tadić under the auspices of the Bosniak political leadership, aided by shameless para-intelligence pressure and media spin, marked the collapse of the third branch of government in Bosnia and Herzegovina," the HNS stated.

"Six votes from Muslims, exclusively Muslims Halil Lagumdžija, Amila Konjušić, Sanela Barušanović, Sanjin Bogunović, Lejla Hadžić, and Mustafa Šabić voted for her dismissal. This is under the direct instruction of SDA, whose operational executor of actions on the ground is, of course, the intelligence service under Osmica's control, and this can be considered an act of revenge, but also a demonstration of how those who resist Osmica, Bakir Izetbegović, and others fare," said Milorad Dodik after Gordana Tadić's dismissal.

There are many more cases that prove that the SBB president had aligned views with the leaders of HDZ and SNSD. We will cover some of them in detail in the coming days. However, to briefly remind, Radončić and his media were the main proponents of the miners' protests, the undermining of BiH's energy sector, as well as the veterans' protests and the burning of the BiH Presidency building.