Senior BiH official warns 'abnormal' financial practices in Republika Srpska pose risk to entire country

The Deputy Minister's comments came in response to the BiH Finance Minister, Srdjan Amidzic, who had earlier addressed the issue of the Gradiska Border Crossing, deeming the situation there "not normal" and of public interest.

Hasanovic challenged this focus by asking several direct questions from Minister Amidzic and those who share his views, demanding clear answers on the RS's financial dealings.

"When officials from the entity of Republika Srpska speak about other people’s debts while hiding their own, then it is time to call things by their real name,” Hasanovic asserted.

He questioned the normality of the RS owing the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) more than 100 million Bosnian marks (approximately € 51.13 million). He highlighted the RS’s long-standing reliance on FBiH resources, alleging it takes a disproportionately large share from the VAT distribution, a distribution whose methodology, he claims, is adopted to the detriment of the FBiH, lacks transparency, and is not aligned with economic or demographic realities.

The Deputy Minister also raised the contentious issue of the RS public broadcaster (RTRS) owing the state public broadcaster (BHRT) nearly 100 million marks (approximately € 51.13 million), a debt that has been tolerated for years without sanction.

He also questioned the practice of depositing state funds in commercial banks headquartered in the RS, rather than the legally mandated and most secure institution, the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CBBH).

Furthermore, Hasanovic asked whether it was acceptable for the RS to have hidden debts and contingent obligations that burden the budget without public disclosure. He concluded that the RS, through its "debts, blockades, and financial manipulation, turns the abnormal into everyday practice."