SARAJEVO, June 14 (Hina) - The international High Representative to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Paddy Ashdown, on Friday relieved the Croat-Muslim Federation's finance minister, Nikola Grabovac, of his duty. According to a letter the British
diplomat sent to Grabovac, the Bosnian federal official is barred from taking over public duties and from running for elections in Bosnia, unless he receives permission from the High Representative. The decision, which took effect immediately and against which Grabovac could not appeal was made by Ashdown after he assessed that the federal minister was morally responsible for a scandal involving the illegal refund of KM1.7 million of customs tariffs to a company which showed false papers on how it fulfilled its duties to the federal budget. Grabovac failed to take effective measures which would ensure the control over the use of the public income, as well as measures which woul
SARAJEVO, June 14 (Hina) - The international High Representative to
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Paddy Ashdown, on Friday relieved the Croat-
Muslim Federation's finance minister, Nikola Grabovac, of his
duty.
According to a letter the British diplomat sent to Grabovac, the
Bosnian federal official is barred from taking over public duties
and from running for elections in Bosnia, unless he receives
permission from the High Representative.
The decision, which took effect immediately and against which
Grabovac could not appeal was made by Ashdown after he assessed that
the federal minister was morally responsible for a scandal
involving the illegal refund of KM1.7 million of customs tariffs to
a company which showed false papers on how it fulfilled its duties
to the federal budget.
Grabovac failed to take effective measures which would ensure the
control over the use of the public income, as well as measures which
would protect the dignity of the finance minister and the
government whose member he was, read Ashdown's decision, published
by the Office of the High Representative (OHR) in Sarajevo.
Grabovac is also criticised for failing to support the Peace
Implementation Council (PIC) in bids to clamp down on the rampant
corruption in the country.
Ashdown said his decision would in no way pre-judge the outcome of
an action which the Sarajevo cantonal court would take against
Grabovac, and he added that Grabovac's replacement was necessary as
he had no longer enjoyed the confidence of the public.
Grabovac, who can now return to the job of a professor at Sarajevo
University, resolutely refused all the accusations for his
responsibility for corruption and he also turned down the High
Representative's request to quit of his own accord.
"I will not resign as it would mean that I admit my fault, and I do not
bear any responsibility for the scandal imputed to me," Grabovac
told reporters earlier this week.
He announced that he would take action against his deputy, Sefika
Hafizovic, and the chief federal finance inspector, Zufer
Dervisevic, as he believed that they were responsible for the
scandal.
The New Croatian Initiative (NHI) party, whose member Grabovac is,
gave full support to him. NHI leader Kresimir Zubak has said
Grabovac is a victim of a big frame-up planned by Dervisevic and
Hafizovic, a member of the Party for Bosnia-Herzegovina (SBiH) of
Haris Silajdzic. In Zubak's mind, the aim of the frame-up is to
ensure greater influence of the said party on financial trends and
police in the Federation.
Contrary to Grabovac, the Bosnian Serb entity's finance minister,
Milenko Vracar, resigned from the office at the insistence of the
High Representative Ashdown.
Vracar announced his resignation at an urgent session of the
Bosnian Serb government on Thursday night in Banja Luka.
He explained his move as "his moral responsibility" for the
recently discovered corruption scandal in the customs
administration of the Republic of Srpska.
According to the findings of a European Union office for assistance
in the enforcement of the customs and tax policy, several customs
officers, organised in a cartel, took bribes to allow lower tariffs
for the import of textile goods in the entity. They thus embezzled
at least 30 million convertible marks from the entity's budget.
Vracar also proposed that some other high-ranking officials, held
responsible for the scandal, in the customs administration should
step down, but government officials, members of the Serb Democratic
Party (SDS), refused this proposal. It is suspected that a
considerable amount of the embezzled money ended up in the SDS
secret funds.
Ashdown said in Banja Luka that he appreciated Vracar's conduct.
(hina) ms