SARAJEVO, April 17 (Hina) - "Hercegovacka Banka" will remain blocked until its former management and share-holders make it possible for the Provisional Administrator Toby Robinson to gain a full insight into the bank's operations so
far, a spokesman for the Office of the High Representative said in Sarajevo on Tuesday. Refusing to cooperate with international representatives, the replaced management and share-holders of the Mostar-based Hercegovacka bank bring into danger all the deposits in that financial institution, including thousands of private and public accounts, the OHR spokesman, Oleg Milisic, said at a news conference. Robinson, appointed by the international community's High Representative Wolfgang Petritsch, issued a statement saying that the replaced director Ivica Karlovic and the shareholders' assembly's chairman, Jozo Maric, refused the negotiations she proposed on possibilities for he
SARAJEVO, April 17 (Hina) - "Hercegovacka Banka" will remain
blocked until its former management and share-holders make it
possible for the Provisional Administrator Toby Robinson to gain a
full insight into the bank's operations so far, a spokesman for the
Office of the High Representative said in Sarajevo on Tuesday.
Refusing to cooperate with international representatives, the
replaced management and share-holders of the Mostar-based
Hercegovacka bank bring into danger all the deposits in that
financial institution, including thousands of private and public
accounts, the OHR spokesman, Oleg Milisic, said at a news
conference.
Robinson, appointed by the international community's High
Representative Wolfgang Petritsch, issued a statement saying that
the replaced director Ivica Karlovic and the shareholders'
assembly's chairman, Jozo Maric, refused the negotiations she
proposed on possibilities for her approach to the bank's
documentation.
Robinson expressed regret at the decision of Karlovic and Maric to
turn down her proposal, as they thus prolonged the agony of
thousands of owners of private and public accounts.
In accordance to Petritsch's decision, Robinson is the only
authorised person who can have the full control over the work of
Hercegovacka Banka.
It is only she who can de-block frozen accounts provided that the
bank's obligations and assets be assessed prior to the de-blockade,
Milisic explained.
As long as Ms. Toby Robinson cannot do her job, all the accounts will
remain blocked, and other banks in Bosnia and abroad will not
operate with the Hercegovacka, he added.
Milisic said the Bosnian authorities were taking legal measures
against person liable for the riots in Herzegovina on 6 April when
representatives of international and the country's financial
institutions tried to take control over the bank.
Groups of protesters, who were, according to the international
community's reports, organised by the HDZ BiH political party,
attacked foreign officials who should have entered the bank's
administration building that day.
During the riots 18 SFOR soldiers and a number of some civilian
organisations' representatives sustained injuries.
(hina) sb ms