Republika Srpska (RS) is selling state property, despite warnings from the Office of the Attorney General of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), and the fact that existing state laws prohibit it.
The government of this BiH entity sold 56,405 square meters of forested land on Mount Jahorini, in the municipality of Pale, not far from Sarajevo, for 41.1 million BAM (about 21 million euros) to the company “Drvo Export” from Teslic in central BiH.
It is about land that is within easy reach of existing hotels and ski slopes in Jahorina, one of the most popular ski destinations in BiH.
According to the decision of the Constitutional Court of BiH, state property represents movable and immovable things that are used for the exercise of power, and may also include public goods (rivers, mountains, natural resources, traffic infrastructure, etc.).
The BiH Prosecutor’s Office warned the RS
As soon as they found out about the move of the Government of RS, the Office of the Attorney General of BiH reacted, they pointed out from this institution.
“Right after learning about the adoption of the Decision of the Government of the RS on the manner and conditions of the sale of immovable property located within the special area of Jahorina, the BiH Office of the Attorney General immediately established a case and is taking appropriate legal actions according to the competent administrative and judicial authorities,” it was stated in the response from the Office of the Attorney General.
They add that in a letter they warned the Ministry of Trade and Tourism of the RS not to sell the land, which was eventually done.
The Office of the High Representative (OHR): Any sale is prohibited
OHR in BiH said that “any sale or other form of disposal of state property” is expressly prohibited, and that all acts on the disposal of such property are null and void, Slobodna Evropa reports.
E.Dz.