A meeting has begun at the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) building regarding the Respirators affair, that is, the controversial procurement of 100 medical respirators through “F. H. Silver Raspberry ” company for the needs of health institutions in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The meeting, among others, is attended by Chief State Prosecutor Gordana Tadic, Chief Cantonal Prosecutor of Sarajevo Canton Sabina Sarajlija, Director of the BiH Public Procurement Agency, and Prosecutor Sead Krestalica, or Head of the Department for Economic Crime and Corruption of the Cantonal Prosecutor’s Office Sarajevo.
The State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) is already actively working on the case of procurement of 100 respirators for 10.5 million BAM, purchased over the company by Fikret Hodzic, a host at Hayat TV.
Yesterday, SIPA members immediately requested and collected certain documentation available in BiH, and a request has already been sent to China to determine exactly from whom and how “Silver Raspberry” company acquired this medical equipment.
Although the equipment arrived from Beijing to Sarajevo, the invoices allegedly state the name of the Shanghai-based company.
Vijesti.ba news portal sources claim that the work is now on to collect all the documentation first and then start hearing all the actors in this story.
Everyone in the chain will have to testify at SIPA, starting with Fikret Hodzic to those responsible at the Federal Civil Protection Administration who authorized this company to buy respirators for medical facilities in the Federation.
Considering the fact that this is a cross-border procurement of equipment worth 10.5 million BAM, an initiative has been launched for the BiH Prosecutor’s Office to take this case instead of the Canton Sarajevo Prosecutor’s Office.
The invoices prove that identical respirator – fan equipment costs 3.5 million BAM. However, VAT has not yet been paid for this equipment, so it is still located at Sarajevo Airport. The amount for VAT is more than one million BAM.
The purchase of 100 respirators by the Government of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina from China worth 10.5 million BAM, which will be imported by the company selling raspberries was commented by “Our Party” representative in the Federal Parliament Mirsad Camdzic, Klix.ba news portal reports.
He described this procurement as “the most scandalous since Fadil Novalic headed the Federal Government” and requested that the entire case be examined by the BiH’s Public Procurement Agency:
“These are highly sophisticated and extremely expensive medical equipment, whose market price is much lower than the one at which the Federal Government purchased it. In addition to the Agency having to deal with this, it is necessary for the Federal Prime Minister as soon as possible to inform public about procurement procedures.”
Camdzic asked for an urgent answer to several questions, such as how did they chose the importer, why was nobody involved in the procurement but only the Federal Civil Protection headquarters, who will maintain the respirators?
“We already suspect that on the scene there is profiteering on the side of those who should get us out of this situation as soon as possible. If the doubts are confirmed, this Government no longer deserves any of the cooperation shown so far by opposition representatives and citizens. It becomes part of problems, not part of the solution to the crisis, “emphasized Camdzic. Namely, the Federal Government has bought 100 new respirators, and the importer is a company from Srebrenica that deals with fruit and vegetable processing. Respirators cost 10.5 million BAM, which some say is too high.
