Among the many problems in Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of the biggest is the theft of public money through public procurement. Estimates suggest that over a billion BAM is stolen annually in this way. Currently, those who are proven to have committed crimes of enormous proportions are most often punished with a fine of a few hundred BAM, according to a statement by a member of the House of Representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Saša Magazinović, on the occasion of today’s session of that house, which will also include a vote on amendments to the Law on Public Procurement and the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“Therefore, today’s session, which will vote on amendments to the Public Procurement Law and the Criminal Code, can be considered historic. According to the new laws, anyone who participates in irregularities in the field of public procurement, from ministers, mayors, directors, civil servants and members of committees, to bidders, will be severely punished, which includes serious prison sentences, high fines, as well as a ban on performing a function, job, activity, etc.,” Mgazinović said, according to a statement from the SDP BiH MPs’ Club in the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliament.
“I know that there is pressure to prevent this major anti-corruption reform from happening. I know that they are calling, lobbying, scaring you, each for their own motives. I urge you to make sure that next to your name on the voting list there is “FOR” because I am sure that this list will become a historical document that will illustrate the turning point between the period when public money ended up in private pockets and the period when these funds will be directed to the construction of hospitals, schools, kindergartens, the purchase of medicines and medical equipment, the construction of roads, and investments in education and security,” said Magazinović.
He notes that everyone who works in accordance with the regulations has no reason to fear, because nothing is changing for them, while those who engage in abuses in public procurement have serious reason to fear and lose sleep, because that is how things are supposed to work.
He believes that these laws will protect the honest because they establish a system of accountability in which it is known who does what and who is individually responsible for what. “These are not laws against people, but laws in favor of the public interest and fairness.”
“For years, we have all frustrated by the knowledge of the thefts in tenders that are happening before our eyes, and where the perpetrators go unpunished. I am aware that many have lost hope that something can change, but I believe that it can and I am fighting for it. With the adoption of these laws, theft through public procurement will no longer be treated as a “mistake” for which a symbolic fine is paid, but as a criminal offense for which a prison sentence is imposed. With these laws, we want to show that society must not function on the basis of privileges and connections, but on the basis of responsibility and equality before the law. These are laws that restore hope for a fairer society. I invite you to monitor how people treat them,” concluded Magazinović, Fena news agency writes.
