Opposition lawmaker in Bosnia’s Serb-majority region, Drasko Stanivukovic, announced on Friday that he will submit new criminal complaints against authorities in the semi-autonomous Republika Srpska (RS) entity, alleging wrongdoing in public procurement procedures during the coronavirus pandemic.

Stanivukovic said he acquired documentation, which says that institutions grossly overpaid companies in various procurement procedures, through some of his personal channels since institutions would not respond to requests for information.

“I am waiting for responses for two months as this is how they are trying to buy time. We want to talk to the directors of all institutions that conducted procurement procedures directly eye to eye through the inquiry committee,” he said.

“We know about everything that was purchased and for what price. We are on the verge of a new scandal – how many ventilators were procured in the RS, for what price and by what company? Were the ventilators procured for a price of 58,000 Bosnian Marks each, while the Fund then purchased them for more than 100,000 Bosnian Marks, some even for 146,000 Bosnian Marks? This was 50 ventilators,” he said.

“Now, the authorities and the government are on the move, while the Prosecutor’s Office, Court, State Police should have been on the move long ago,” he said.

Stanivukovic asked “why did a student centre purchase washing machines for 60,000 Bosnian Marks when it bought them a year before for 12,000 Bosnian Marks?” He adding that another institution spent 6,000 Bosnian Marks on “sharpening knives.”

“These are serious affairs and it’s sad that I, as an MP, must use certain connections and channels to get to the truth and justice because we can not get official information from institutions, unfortunately,” he said.

“We have also submitted 10 criminal complaints, I am announcing that two or three new ones (will be submitted) on Monday,” he said.