On certain sections of Corridor Vc, work has stopped, which is confirmed by photographs of abandoned construction sites. N1 requested official information from the Public Enterprise “Autoceste FBiH”, but we did not receive any information.
Nermin Nikšić, the Prime Minister of FBiH confirmed on FTV that the European creditors stopped the financing of this project due to suspicions of corrupt practices.
The condition they allegedly set is the dismissal of Denis Lasić, director of this public company, which Nikšić does not want to do.
In September 2002, the first section of Corridor Vc from Jošanica to Podlugovo was opened. However, 24 years later, the Corridor has not been completed, nor is it known when all sections will be completed. Instead of contracting the most demanding works, such as the Prenj tunnel, which should shorten the distance from Sarajevo to Mostar, the start of which has been announced for years and never started, we witness that construction has been suspended on certain sections of the highway construction. The reason for the suspension of works can be found in the fact that the European creditors withdrew due to suspicions of corrupt practices in JP “Autoceste FBiH”.
Silence in JP “Autoceste FBiH”
At the beginning of June, N1 requested official information from JP “Autoceste FBiH”, but we did not receive an answer.
As it was announced in the videos, the works on the section Ozimica – Medakovo were suspended.
Nikšić criticizes European creditors
That the works have stopped and that the European creditors have withdrawn was confirmed by Nermin Nikšić as a guest on FTV. He said that “this is not the problem of this government at all”.
According to him, the European Investment Bank should not have stopped the projects because of the ongoing investigations.
“I consider the behavior of the European Investment Bank quite irresponsible. They have a contract with the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Companies that have done their job cannot and must not be punished.”
As Nikšić says, investigations should be carried out to the end, but without stopping infrastructure projects.
“No one will give amnesty to anyone who may have done illegal activities, but what the contractors did must be paid for. It should be investigated who inflated the prices and negotiated the deals,” he told FTV.
Disputed director Lasić?
It is already known that Denis Lasić, director of “Autocesta FBiH”, who was the federal minister of transport and communications in the previous convocation of the FBiH Government, is under scrutiny. Lasić came to the head of this public company, just like the previous position of minister, at the suggestion of HDZ BiH. The leader of this party, Dragan Čović, recently said that, according to his information, we are not talking about the dismissal of one person, but about reviewing the management’s work:
“No one is asking for the dismissal of Denis Lasić. They are talking about the management. People asked to review the role of both the previous and the current management in the projects, not one person.”
As Čović Lasić said at the time, after the accusations appeared, he offered his mandate:
“When it comes to colleague Lasić, he came immediately when it started and said: ‘I am making my mandate available. Don’t let me be a burden on any project.’”
Nikšić previously announced the dismissal of Lasić, stating that he will not be dismissed until he is charged.
“They can ask us to review the situation, but in order to replace someone you must have evidence. Otherwise, you enter processes where people sue you. It does not occur to me to answer for anyone because I did something that is not in accordance with the law for someone’s benefit or to save someone from international financial institutions or previous administrations,” Nikšić said earlier.
What is questionable?
According to unofficial information available on the N1 on the sections of the highway from Zenica to Doboj that are under construction, the only active construction site is on the section Vranduk – Donja Golubinja. In addition to the Ozimice – Medakovo section, work has also stopped on the Usora – Medakovo section, while the Ponirak – Vranduk section has slowed down and some construction site maintenance is being carried out.
All this happening on Corridor Vc will inevitably affect the economy, so it remains to be seen how it will ultimately affect the GDP, the number of employees in the FBiH, and above all the international reputation, which is inevitably shaken, he writes. N1 BiH.
