Radončić: Izetbegović and I differ in our assessments of the work of the judiciary
Radončić said that, after yesterday's decision of the Court of B&H to confirm the indictment in the "Respirators" case, Mr. Novalić should consider whether, and in what capacity, he can respond to the duties of the Prime Minister of the Federal Gover
Piše: F. Mustafić - A . Aljimi
Fahrudin Radončić, the leader of SBB, commented not only on the migrant crisis, but also on the coronavirus pandemic at the New Year's press conference.
As he warned, the complete absence of reaction from the level of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina is evident.
- We have something called a health conference consisting of Minister Gudeljević and two entity health ministers. She never met with them, as far as I know. Then it is not surprising that in B&H we have more than 4,000 deaths due to COVID, which is twice the average than in our neighbors and in other European countries. We have a situation where no one deals with that, why so many people die - Radončić asked.
He assessed that the disorganization at both the state and entity levels, when it comes to the pandemic, is best seen in the fact that the vaccination has already begun in neighbouring countries.
- I mean Croatia, which is part of the European Union, and Serbia, which is not, and practically no one in B&H knows when the vaccine will come, whether it will come, who is responsible for it and therefore I think we should urgently ask the Council of Ministers to reactivate the work of the Coordination Body and to deal with the strategic solution of issues that are important for the life of citizens - said Radončić.
Fight against corruption
The SBB leader also spoke about the fight against corruption.
- You know that SBB 10 years ago, as one of its most important program points, pointed out the fight against systemic corruption. One of the reasons for my resignation is the political disagreement regarding the fight against corruption. You remember that the "Respirators" affair started then and that friends from the SDA called it an attack to Bosniaks. By coincidence, yesterday the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina confirmed the indictment for more than 10.5 million marks of destroyed funds. You know yourself, there is no respirators. Nobody uses them, huge damage was caused and the Prosecutor's Office of B&H was under unprecedented pressure to drop the indictment. I think that when it comes to the situation in the judiciary, it is good that there has been a change at the head of the HJPC and that we have a political approach, absolute criticism of what the Prosecutor's Office of B&H is doing and it comes from one political party. And, on the other hand, looking at the Court of B&H as something that is a "holy cow", something that must not be commented on - said Radončić.
It is very important, he pointed out, that the Prosecutor's Office of B&H, had hardest time initiating a large number of investigations and prosecuting a significant number of individuals in the most important positions in the country.
- Is it the Minister of Security, is it the director of the Intelligence Service, former ministers, it should be said that the prosecution should be given support to fight systemic corruption and especially against the abuse of those in charge of budget funds, or for human resources they abused for their own purposes, to prevent investigations against themselves.
I think that, on the other hand, there are tendencies, if Mr. Bakir Izetbegović can legitimately, as the president of a party, speak about criticism of the Prosecutor's Office of B&H, I think I can notice some tendencies when it comes to the Court of B&H to respect the presumption of innocence and he had some milder criterion than he should have in my point of view.
We have cases where Mr. Božo Mihajlović, the prosecutor who stole funds from the prosecutor's office, was sentenced to five years, after which the SDA reacted that it was an incomprehensibly large verdict and it was annulled, and the proceedings were returned to the Municipal Court. Not to mention that the trial against Goran Salihović, the former Chief Prosecutor, has been reduced to the Municipal Court and is slowly melting away, or situations where the Prosecutor's Office of B&H requested adequate measures for individual indictees, in terms of ban on communication and so on , and I know at least by myself what it used to look like - Radončić pointed out.
What will happen to Novalić
Radončić said that, after yesterday's decision of the Court of B&H to confirm the indictment in the "Respirators" case, Mr. Novalić should consider whether, and in what capacity, he can respond to the duties of the Prime Minister of the Federal Government.
- Objectively, it is difficult to expect that a man who will have one trial a week, appearing before the judges can successfully manage the government, which has not yet made a big step forward in certain segments, although of course it has its results.
- Also, we expect that some indications, given to us by Mr. Čović and Mr. Izetbegović, and the two of them are strategic partners, that the federal government will be formed quickly, it happens and it is their responsibility to implement the 2018 election results at the federal level. SBB is a hostage of their disagreement, and HDZ, SDA and the Democratic Front have more than enough hands to form a new federal government and fulfill their constitutional obligation - said Radončić.
He also talked about infrastructure.
- I want to mention that next year we must do everything to start the infrastructure works. We saw on one example, on the highway Belgrade - Sarajevo or Sarajevo - Belgrade, that Serbia has done a huge job, and that we have practically not yet determined the route of that highway. It is as if someone is afraid that construction will take place in B&H, that communications will be faster, that people in the region, together with goods, can move more easily, and I really expect that this unblocking will follow immediately and that appropriate levels of government and institutions will dedicate themselves to the start of works as soon as possible and that the works that are happening in other places continue - said Radončić.
Kamber prosecuted for vote theft
The president of SBB also commented on the election results and the political reshuffle.
- Also, I want to say today that all opposition forces should turn to cooperation, in creating fair elections, ie conditions for fair elections where the electoral will not be criminalized in a way that corrupt or party-hot members of polling stations, and there are thousands of them in all kinds of abuses, Bulgarian trains, purchases, confiscated boxes, falsifying the civil will.
I will remind you that the Prosecutor's Office of B&H prosecuted Mr. Kamber because in the last elections, 1,050 votes for the Bosniak member of the Presidency of B&H were stolen from me in only one small polling station. I believe that in this sense we will be able to agree as political parties that we have better and fairer elections. I will say a few more topics that the elections in Mostar were extremely important to us.
I consider it extremely necessary and I really support our coalition giving the mayor of Mostar. The elections in Mostar showed the situation in a picturesque way, for me the most important thing is that they took place and that whoever is the mayor, be it Bosniak, Croat or someone else, or third, we have a peaceful situation and atmosphere where people will work for the benefit of citizens. The elections also showed another position which, as a sovereignist, is really easy to say for years.
Someone said that representatives of the Croatian state were coming to Mostar. Someone brought people from Belgrade, someone went to the variant we have already seen before with President Erdogan when are general elections. B&H must get rid of all kinds of paternalism, and Bosniaks really should not participate in making Belgrade, Zagreb or Istanbul the points around which our national policies, and thus the policies of B&H, will revolve. I don't think we need it. We have to solve our own problems in both Mostar and Sarajevo - Radončić added.
He commented on the election of Joe Biden to head the United States.
-This opens a new option, a new optimism that in B&H certain things will start to move for the better with the help of our international friends, and that this is perhaps the best news that has caught us in this, now last year - said Radončić
Radončić: Izetbegović and I differ in our assessments of the work of the judiciary
Radončić said that, after yesterday's decision of the Court of B&H to confirm the indictment in the "Respirators" case, Mr. Novalić should consider whether, and in what capacity, he can respond to the duties of the Prime Minister of the Federal Gover
Piše: F. Mustafić - A . Aljimi
Fahrudin Radončić, the leader of SBB, commented not only on the migrant crisis, but also on the coronavirus pandemic at the New Year's press conference.
As he warned, the complete absence of reaction from the level of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina is evident.
- We have something called a health conference consisting of Minister Gudeljević and two entity health ministers. She never met with them, as far as I know. Then it is not surprising that in B&H we have more than 4,000 deaths due to COVID, which is twice the average than in our neighbors and in other European countries. We have a situation where no one deals with that, why so many people die - Radončić asked.
He assessed that the disorganization at both the state and entity levels, when it comes to the pandemic, is best seen in the fact that the vaccination has already begun in neighbouring countries.
- I mean Croatia, which is part of the European Union, and Serbia, which is not, and practically no one in B&H knows when the vaccine will come, whether it will come, who is responsible for it and therefore I think we should urgently ask the Council of Ministers to reactivate the work of the Coordination Body and to deal with the strategic solution of issues that are important for the life of citizens - said Radončić.
Fight against corruption
The SBB leader also spoke about the fight against corruption.
- You know that SBB 10 years ago, as one of its most important program points, pointed out the fight against systemic corruption. One of the reasons for my resignation is the political disagreement regarding the fight against corruption. You remember that the "Respirators" affair started then and that friends from the SDA called it an attack to Bosniaks. By coincidence, yesterday the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina confirmed the indictment for more than 10.5 million marks of destroyed funds. You know yourself, there is no respirators. Nobody uses them, huge damage was caused and the Prosecutor's Office of B&H was under unprecedented pressure to drop the indictment. I think that when it comes to the situation in the judiciary, it is good that there has been a change at the head of the HJPC and that we have a political approach, absolute criticism of what the Prosecutor's Office of B&H is doing and it comes from one political party. And, on the other hand, looking at the Court of B&H as something that is a "holy cow", something that must not be commented on - said Radončić.
It is very important, he pointed out, that the Prosecutor's Office of B&H, had hardest time initiating a large number of investigations and prosecuting a significant number of individuals in the most important positions in the country.
- Is it the Minister of Security, is it the director of the Intelligence Service, former ministers, it should be said that the prosecution should be given support to fight systemic corruption and especially against the abuse of those in charge of budget funds, or for human resources they abused for their own purposes, to prevent investigations against themselves.
I think that, on the other hand, there are tendencies, if Mr. Bakir Izetbegović can legitimately, as the president of a party, speak about criticism of the Prosecutor's Office of B&H, I think I can notice some tendencies when it comes to the Court of B&H to respect the presumption of innocence and he had some milder criterion than he should have in my point of view.
We have cases where Mr. Božo Mihajlović, the prosecutor who stole funds from the prosecutor's office, was sentenced to five years, after which the SDA reacted that it was an incomprehensibly large verdict and it was annulled, and the proceedings were returned to the Municipal Court. Not to mention that the trial against Goran Salihović, the former Chief Prosecutor, has been reduced to the Municipal Court and is slowly melting away, or situations where the Prosecutor's Office of B&H requested adequate measures for individual indictees, in terms of ban on communication and so on , and I know at least by myself what it used to look like - Radončić pointed out.
What will happen to Novalić
Radončić said that, after yesterday's decision of the Court of B&H to confirm the indictment in the "Respirators" case, Mr. Novalić should consider whether, and in what capacity, he can respond to the duties of the Prime Minister of the Federal Government.
- Objectively, it is difficult to expect that a man who will have one trial a week, appearing before the judges can successfully manage the government, which has not yet made a big step forward in certain segments, although of course it has its results.
- Also, we expect that some indications, given to us by Mr. Čović and Mr. Izetbegović, and the two of them are strategic partners, that the federal government will be formed quickly, it happens and it is their responsibility to implement the 2018 election results at the federal level. SBB is a hostage of their disagreement, and HDZ, SDA and the Democratic Front have more than enough hands to form a new federal government and fulfill their constitutional obligation - said Radončić.
He also talked about infrastructure.
- I want to mention that next year we must do everything to start the infrastructure works. We saw on one example, on the highway Belgrade - Sarajevo or Sarajevo - Belgrade, that Serbia has done a huge job, and that we have practically not yet determined the route of that highway. It is as if someone is afraid that construction will take place in B&H, that communications will be faster, that people in the region, together with goods, can move more easily, and I really expect that this unblocking will follow immediately and that appropriate levels of government and institutions will dedicate themselves to the start of works as soon as possible and that the works that are happening in other places continue - said Radončić.
Kamber prosecuted for vote theft
The president of SBB also commented on the election results and the political reshuffle.
- Also, I want to say today that all opposition forces should turn to cooperation, in creating fair elections, ie conditions for fair elections where the electoral will not be criminalized in a way that corrupt or party-hot members of polling stations, and there are thousands of them in all kinds of abuses, Bulgarian trains, purchases, confiscated boxes, falsifying the civil will.
I will remind you that the Prosecutor's Office of B&H prosecuted Mr. Kamber because in the last elections, 1,050 votes for the Bosniak member of the Presidency of B&H were stolen from me in only one small polling station. I believe that in this sense we will be able to agree as political parties that we have better and fairer elections. I will say a few more topics that the elections in Mostar were extremely important to us.
I consider it extremely necessary and I really support our coalition giving the mayor of Mostar. The elections in Mostar showed the situation in a picturesque way, for me the most important thing is that they took place and that whoever is the mayor, be it Bosniak, Croat or someone else, or third, we have a peaceful situation and atmosphere where people will work for the benefit of citizens. The elections also showed another position which, as a sovereignist, is really easy to say for years.
Someone said that representatives of the Croatian state were coming to Mostar. Someone brought people from Belgrade, someone went to the variant we have already seen before with President Erdogan when are general elections. B&H must get rid of all kinds of paternalism, and Bosniaks really should not participate in making Belgrade, Zagreb or Istanbul the points around which our national policies, and thus the policies of B&H, will revolve. I don't think we need it. We have to solve our own problems in both Mostar and Sarajevo - Radončić added.
He commented on the election of Joe Biden to head the United States.
-This opens a new option, a new optimism that in B&H certain things will start to move for the better with the help of our international friends, and that this is perhaps the best news that has caught us in this, now last year - said Radončić
