The trial of Bakir's FB&H Prime Minister Fadil Novalić and others in the "Ventilators" affair continued today in the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In addition to Novalić, the accused are also the suspended director of the Federal Civil Protection Administration, Fahrudin Solak, and Fikret Hodžić, owner of the company "Srebrena malina" and FB&H Minister of Finance Jelka Milićević.

Prosecution witness Edin Kreštalica, who is a member of the management board of Privredna banka Sarajevo, said that Hodžić was a client of that bank.

Prosecutor Mirza Hukeljić asked the witness if he knew Hodžić personally.

- I know him as a client. I met him in 2018 when he applied for a loan. Last year, on April 6th, he invited me to a meeting because he needed bank guarantees because he got a job concerning the import of medical equipment. He said the money was already in his account. He asked the bank to issue a guarantee for deferred payment until the goods are delivered. Those were actually three guarantees. The first was in favor of the Montenegrin company BTL at 4.1m euros, with a deadline of April 15th. I know that the guarantee was issued and it was never activated - stated Kreštalica.

The prosecutor asked Kreštalica if he knew exactly what equipment Hodžić intended to procure.

- He said they were Chinese ventilators. I asked him if he was registered as an authorized importer of medical equipment and he said that the Prime Minister of FB&H would make sure that he received an import permit. I received that answer by e-mail - Kreštalica replied.

The witness said that in this case it was a matter of ensuring that the ordered goods would be delivered.

Hodžić's lawyer Mirna Avdibegović asked the witness if he knew who from the bank gave the contract to the media because there is an obligation to keep client data private.

- During the telephone conversation, Hodžić told me that only someone from the bank could give the media a contract. I didn't know anything about that, so I told him to officially contact the bank - Kreštalica answered.

The employee of Privredna banka Sarajevo, Lejla Kustura, also testified, saying that 10.5 million KM had been deposited in the account of "Srebrena malina" and that it was immediately registered in the system, and she informed the Department for the Prevention of Money Laundering.

Namik Hadžić, secretary of the FB&H Red Cross, who is also a member of the Federal Civil Protection Staff, also testified in court. He described how decisions on the procurement of medical equipment were made at the sessions.

The trial is due to continue tomorrow.