Public Procurement Law was not obeyed in the controversial purchase of 100 ventilators in Bosnia and there is no available information about who was involved in the process, according to Djenan Salcin, Bosnia's Public Procurement Agency chief.
The statement comes days after media reports on alleged irregularities in the €10.5 million worth import of 100 ventilators from China that involved a local fruit and vegetable processing company ‘Srebrena malina’, which sparked reactions in Bosnia's public and led the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office to look into the case.
Speaking to N1, Salcin said that every spending of public funds let alone a €10.5 million deal requires acting in line with the Public Procurement Law.
In case of the purchase of 100 ventilators, that was not the case, said Salcin.
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“The Public Procurement Law was not obeyed, we don't even have official information about if and who possibly was involved in this procurement except the information about ‘Srebrena malina’ company from media,” said Salcin.
Asked if it was possible to carry out an urgent procedure in line with the law, he explained this would be a possibility if there is a valid reason for that. “Of course, it is completely clear that the conditions to exempt the procurement of respirators from the Public Procurement Law were not met,” he added.
Later on Thursday, the Agency issued a statement, dismissing the allegations that the Public Procurement Law was suspended during the coronavirus pandemic, stressing that this undermines the public procurement system in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The agency also said it was cooperating with the prosecutors and will do everything from the scope of its competencies in unveiling and processing a potential violation of the Public Procurement Law.
