FEDERAL PREMIER, FINANCE MINISTER ACCUSE EACH OTHER OF WRONGDOING

SARAJEVO, Jan 25 (Hina) - A scandal that recently erupted when Bosnian (Moslem-Croat) Federation's Premier Edhem Bicakcic accused his deputy and the federal Finance Minister, Drago Bilandzija, of financial wrongdoing, is assuming serious proportions. On Wednesday Sarajevo press reported that the Federal Premier Bicakcic blamed Minister Bilandzija for exempting a Siroki Brijeg company 'Lijanovic' from customs duties while importing goods worth 173.35 million German marks. After remaining silent for two days, on Saturday Minister Bilandzija dismissed accusations in the Sarajevo media. He pointed to serious wrongdoings committed by others in state administration which had not been revealed so far. Bilandzija admitted that he had signed a paper by which the 'Lijanovic' company was exempt from import duties, and explained he had done so, as an assistant to the Agriculture Minister, Marko Tadic, recommended it. Bilandzija, a Bosnian Croat minister, said the Federal Agriculture Minister Ahmed Smajic had done everything not to let the company be freed from the duty although it had submitted a request for such an act in October 1996. At that period Smajic, who is Moslem, had given his consent to the exemption from the customs duties of other 44 companies, of them only four Croat, Bilandzija added. The Finance Minister said he had all legal powers to make such a solution as it was applied for the 'Lijanovic' case. Commenting on Federal Premier Bicakcic's accusations that tariff concessions jeopardized the financial basis of the Federation and the State, Bilandzija warned that no one had raised a question why taxes and contributions on salaries and wages had not been paid last year. According to figures released by the bureau for payment operations, the 1996 Federal Budget was short of at least 57 million German marks due to such wrongdoing. Bilandzija laid the blame for it at the door of several then ministers including Edhem Bicakcic and businessmen who had made a special decree in January 1996 under which taxes and contributions on wages could be avoid. High-ranking officials of the ruling parties in the Federation - the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia (HDZ of BH) and the Moslem-led Party of Democratic Action (SDA) - who held a meeting on Friday in Sarajevo to discuss overall relations in the Federation, did not consider the Bilandzija-Bicakcic case. After the meeting the heads of the HDZ and SDA delegations, Bozo Rajic and Edhem Bicakcic respectively, conveyed to reporters their opinion. "We do not accept any scandal and it does not exist for us," Rajic of the HDZ said. He added that a demand to relieve Bilandzija of duty would be considered on the grounds of facts and rules and that the Federation's President was to make a decision on that. On behalf of the HDZ of BH Rajic objected to unfair procedure in the case, taken by the partner and Bicakcic personally. Rajic found fault with Bicakcic on failing to hold necessary talks with the Federation's President Zubak. But Bicakcic claimed that for ten days he had waited for response after he had notified Bilandzija of the matter. (hina) mš 251437 MET jan 97