There is a real possibility that in the coming days there will be a suspension of work on certain sections of Corridor 5C through Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the reason is debts owed to contractors and suppliers participating in the construction of the highway.
As we learn from several sources involved in the implementation of projects, certain companies that work on the highway route are owed amounts that are measured in hundreds of millions of KM, especially on the Medakovo – Ozimica and Medakovo – Putnikovo Brdo sections.
According to the information obtained by Klix.ba, regular payments of tranches have not been made for some time, which has further burdened the relations between the investor and the contractor. The reason for this, as stated by the sources, is again the fact that the creditors do not pay the loan tranches intended to finance the projects on Corridor 5C.
The whole situation, according to the available information, is related to the operations and investigations in the operations of Autocesta FBiH. Earlier, also, certain corrections and elimination of irregularities in the procedures for contracting jobs and the selection of contractors on certain projects were requested.
JP Autocesta FBiH stated at the end of December last year that there was no suspension of financing of projects on Corridor Vc, nor termination of credit arrangements with the European Investment Bank (EIB).
As they said at the time, the funds are still available in accordance with the signed contracts, and any delays in the withdrawal of money relate to technical-procedural issues, the dynamics of implementation and administrative documentation, and not to the blocking of funding. The FBiH Highway emphasized that they are in constant communication with international financial institutions and that the construction of Corridor Vc remains a strategic priority.
In the meantime, dissatisfaction is growing among contractors due to late payments, and according to Klix.ba, it is only a matter of days when certain companies could make a decision on the temporary suspension of work on construction sites. March 9 is unofficially mentioned.
Corridor 5C represents the most important infrastructure project in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the possible suspension of works on certain sections could further slow down the dynamics of its construction, it says. Klix.
