Branković Resigns

CIN story signaled start of scandal

Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Prime Minister Branković resigned Wednesday, after heeding calls by party leaders, who pulled their support in the face of a stream of revelations concerning a scheme to provide virtually free housing to select political allies and colleagues.

In a story titled ‘A Lucky Real Estate Deal’ nearly two years ago, The Center for Investigative Reporting in Sarajevo (CIN) disclosed how Branković used privatization vouchers worth about 900 KM on the street to buy a Sarajevo apartment now valued at 500,000 KM.

Branković’s dim hope of retaining power ended early this week, when rival Sulejman Tihić won election as president of the SDA party. Tihić has repeatedly said a prime minister under indictment should not be leading the country. Who will succeed Branković, and when, is being discussed. The CIN story on Branković’s housing deal resonated with citizens, who staged a billboard campaign against the prime minister, held rallies and painted graffiti messages relaying their disgust.

When Branković responded by demanding that police take ‘quick action’ against the graffiti artists, the protests grew louder. Members of a group calling itself ‘Citizen’s Action’ sent more than 4,000 e-mails to police, claiming to be authors of the graffiti.

Branković is not the only public official caught in the scandal. Former FBiH Prime Minister Edhem Bičakčić and his former Deputy, Dragan Čović, are charged with orchestrating an elaborate housing scheme that used 7.8 million KM from the public budget to buy or renovate 64 apartments for various government officials.

CIN’s original story explained how Branković wound up with a 132-meter home in Ciglane while director of Energoinvest.

The private company and the government decided to jointly buy him the place. To this day, no one has ever explained why.

Tags:

Center for Investigative Journalism is the holder of the certificate

Readers’ support helps CIN reveal corruption and organized crime.
Your donation supports investigative journalism as a public good.

Latest news

NASLOVNA
Adriatic Metals Fast-Tracks New Mining Permit
The authorities in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) have granted Adriatic Metals a new mining permit for the area between Vareš and Kakanj, just 15...
NASLOVNA_Milorad-Dodik_Rasid-Sardarov
RS Government Decides to Acquire Unfinished Energy Projects from Rašid Sardarov
The Government of Republika Srpska has decided to purchase the co-ownership stake of Russian businessman Rašid Sardarov in the company Comsar Energy RS, which holds...
Adriatic-Metal-Vares-Screenshot
Adriatic Metals Loses Mining License in Vareš
Adriatic Metals BH has lost its mining license for lead, zinc, and barite in the hills between Vareš and Kakanj due to the lack of a prior assessment of the impact...
Load more

Preuzimanje sadržaja Centra za istraživačko novinarstvo dopušteno je uz obavezno navođenje izvora www.cin.ba

Anonimna prijava

Svojim anonimnim prijavama doprinosite integritetu naše zajednice. Molimo vas da iskoristite ovu formu kako biste sigurno prijavili bilo kakvu sumnju u korupciju ili nezakonitu aktivnost koju primijetite. Vaša hrabrost ključna je za očuvanje naših vrijednosti i promicanje transparentnosti.

Downloading of the content of the CIN is permitted with the mandatory reference to the source at www.cin.ba.

Anonymous Report

By submitting your anonymous reports, you contribute to the integrity of our community. Please use this form to safely report any suspicions of corruption or illegal activities you may observe. Your courage is crucial in upholding our values and promoting transparency.