Sarajevo Canton PM: I resigned for moral reasons, major reform needed at GRAS

"When I took on this responsibility, aware of both the positive and negative sides of the job, I set myself one goal: no matter how long the mandate lasted, two months, two or four years, that after it ended I would be able to walk the streets of our city with my head held high, without any shame," Uk said.

He stressed that immediately after the tram accident, he held three government sessions, visited the scene, and together with Transport Minister Adnan Steta and Health Minister Enis Hasanovic visited the injured at the Clinical Center of the University of Sarajevo. This was followed by meetings devoted exclusively to the incident.

Uk said that over the past 72 hours, he had also followed protests outside the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"What I saw were my colleagues from the streets, acquaintances, people who share my values," he said.

He added that these were not people brought in by buses, but citizens who came to show respect and say farewell to the late Erdoan Morankic, as well as to express dissatisfaction. Uk said he heard young people calling for his resignation, and that was the only reason he decided to step down.

"My resignation is not an escape; it is taking responsibility. I will continue to work conscientiously and honestly until a new government is formed in the coming period," he said, adding that no process in the Canton will stop.

He called for urgent and deep reforms at GRAS, saying that citizens no longer trust the way the company operates.

"It is obvious that the process of transforming GRAS into a more modern company that serves citizens more safely must be accelerated. The transformation of this company and its internal processes has been neglected due to massive investments and financial stabilization interventions, and that is a mistake of my government," he said.

He announced concrete steps, including the introduction of temporary administration through the appointment of new management structures composed of legal and economic experts, as well as an urgent independent audit of business processes, including how vehicles are approved for service, with findings to be made public.

Uk recalled that the last GRAS performance report reviewed by the Cantonal Assembly dates back to 2018.

He also addressed the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor’s Office, noting that numerous criminal complaints have been filed over the years regarding GRAS's operations, including 47 complaints in 2022 initiated by then-Prime Minister Edin Forto.

"I call on the Prosecutor’s Office to open this 'Pandora’s box' and thoroughly examine everything that has been piling up in drawers for decades. If there is a cancer in the system, it is corruption. That is why we strengthened the institutions tasked with prosecuting and punishing it. We now expect that strength to be demonstrated," Uk said.