In times of great conflict, when discussions about war are in the present tense, only two categories of people interpret conflicts based on their interests—merchants and military structures. The delivery of weapons to conflict zones, such as Ukraine and Israel, despite international regulations, is justified as a necessary political move. The principle is simple. Factories controlled by Western structures break their own rules. For example, compatible weapons and necessary ammunition from Eastern Europe reach Ukraine through a buyer who provides the final delivery address and the name of the end user who stores the weapons, and once enough has been gathered, it heads to the frontlines. Today, Bulgaria and Romania, with their NATO depots, are the main transit zones through which weapons from the Balkans reach Ukraine. The starting point is Bosnia and Herzegovina.
SUCCESSFUL DIVERSION
It is hard to discern from Bosnian media how the weapons factories in BiH came under American control. Details related to the operation of control and changes in ownership structure are carefully hidden. However, the successful financial diversion carried out by SDA personnel in the defense industry is being exploited beyond good taste, with documents presented to the public to illustrate the success of this financial operation. Financial profits from arms trade are not the only reason the Muslim SDA is involved in the takeover of weapons factories through its personnel, which understandably causes American and Western unease.
Although Sarajevo’s official policy follows the course of Western countries in the war in Ukraine against Russia, the Muslim parties in power have their own political and religious agenda, which involves supporting and supplying weapons to Islamist groups, movements, and global terrorist organizations: the Muslim Brotherhood, Al-Qaeda, Al-Nusra, and ISIS. In these business obligations, these parties seek to bypass Western restrictions and oversight, while maintaining logistical networks that avoid international regulations, which Western countries apply in Ukraine. After acquiring a majority stake in Ginex, weapons exports to Ukraine increased, as did the departure of Muslim fighters to the Ukrainian front. The economic and military alignment of interests between Kyiv and Islamists in Bosnia was facilitated by a strategic agreement between Al-Nusra and Zelensky’s regime, leading to the recruitment of “sleeper” jihadists in Europe, two-thirds of whom are Bosnian Muslims and make up the fighting potential of this terrorist organization.
TRANSITION OF OWNERSHIP OF WEAPONS FACTORIES
The appointment of Kadrija Kolić, the majority owner with 51% ownership, as a member of the Supervisory Board of Unis Ginex d.d. Goražde in 2016, and the role given to him by the BiH Government—to protect its interests in Goražde—served as a cover for the transition of ownership of one of the most important weapons and ammunition factories in BiH. The mastermind behind this idea was the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) and its entity prime minister Fadil Novalić, later sentenced to three years in prison for fraud involving the purchase of respirators from China. The ammunition factory, including large calibers such as those produced by Ginex, became a subject of manipulation by Kolić and General Hajrudin Grabovica, the current Minister for Veterans’ Affairs in the Sarajevo Canton Government.
This did not go unnoticed. A significant number of letters were sent to the Federation of BiH Government from the defense industry company “Unis Ginex” d.d. Goražde, requesting the removal of one of the three Supervisory Board members—Kadrija Kolić—due to “illegal operations and engagement in the company.” The latest such letter was sent to the Federation Prime Minister’s office on June 12. The shareholders signing the letter document a decline in revenue, profitability, and product quality. Kadrija Kolić, who calls himself a respected lawyer, is also a co-owner of KM Trade and legal representative of the suspended Director of the Federal Civil Protection Administration, Fahrudin Solak, who was sentenced to six years in prison in the respirator scandal.
KOLIĆ’S NETWORK
Data shows that in 2016, the FBiH Government, as the majority owner with 51% ownership, appointed Kolić to the Supervisory Board of “Unis Ginex” on the recommendation of the SDA Personnel Commission. The proposer was Bakir Izetbegović’s vice president and head of the Personnel Commission, Asim Sarajlić.
At that time, “Ginex” was a key supplier to a company that would later receive approval to begin production in the defense industry sector. The company in question is “Pobjeda Technology,” in which Kolić holds about 13.5% ownership, and with his other business partner, Nihad Mašić, co-owner of KM Trade, they together hold 27% of the company.
According to the established plan, Kolić received approval from the government, specifically from Novalić, to appoint his other partner, Hasan Tafro, as executive director in the management of “Ginex.”
After securing 47% ownership in “Pobjeda,” this trio managed to gain control over operations in “Ginex,” as confirmed by several sources from Inforadar. Essentially, this meant having the freedom to manage production from the MPI 3 group, which pertains to the defense industry (military production).
Kolić succeeded in becoming a member of the Supervisory Boards of both “Pobjeda” and “Unis Ginex” d.d. Goražde, while simultaneously retaining his role as a representative of state capital, specifically for the Federation Government. This model is virtually unknown in the democratic world.
In early July (July 6) 2017, “Pobjeda Technology” submitted a request to expand its activities in the area of military production (defense industry), which required the approval of the Federal Ministry of Industry and Energy, the Directorate for the Defense Industry, companies involved in these businesses that are majority-owned by the FBiH Government (such as Igman Konjic and Ginex Konjic), and ultimately, the Government itself.
COMPANIES CONTROLLED BY SDA AND FADIL NOVALIĆ
The request was sent without the mandatory prior consultations and without the approval of Igman from Konjic and Ismet Briga, an advisor to the FBiH Minister of Energy, who later paid for his position on the matter by being forced into retirement. The Minister of Energy, Nermin Džindić, did not object, as he and the family of Prime Minister Novalić were co-owners of a private company that was doing excellent business with Pretis. As is well known, their private company, TMR, had been siphoning money from the defense industry of Bosnia and Herzegovina for years. At that time, TMR was doing business with the company Pretis d.d., which is owned by the Federation Government, meaning both companies were under the control of the aforementioned duo.
Let’s not forget that Džindić is a member of the SBB party, led by Fahrudin Radončić, but his nomination process was reportedly proposed by Novalić, as confirmed by employees at “Ginex” and the Federation Government, because they had “sealed off” the defense industry segment. Before they came to the Federation Government, Novalić was the chairman of the Supervisory Board of “Pretis,” while Džindić was acting director of the same company. Two weeks later (July 20, 2017), the government granted “Pobjeda Technology” approval to begin production in the defense industry sector. According to documentation, the reason why the two most influential figures in the Federation Government pushed for this decision lies in the gunpowder factory in Vogošća, which the FBiH government decided in 2017, as Minister Džindić stated at the time, should be financed by “Ginex,” “Igman,” and “Pretis.” However, he did not reveal that the company TMR, owned by the Novalić and Džindić families, would also join these companies. The value of the investment was between 20 and 30 million KM.
THE DRONE DEAL
The idea was to establish a supervisory board without government approval, allowing them to privatize the factory as a strategically important project, rather than having it run by the state. Citizen protests in the municipality of Vogošća stopped this plan, and it is currently before the Municipal Council.
The second reason was the initiation of drone production, which was enthusiastically promoted by Defense Minister Zukan Helez, who was late by seven years, threatening Republika Srpska. These drones were to be manufactured in “Ginex,” where Novalić himself proposed a consultant with a salary of 800,000 KM. Interestingly, the project was designed without a single qualified electrical engineer. However, such drones, so-called unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), are sold by Kolić’s and Mašić’s company, KM Trade.
A LEAD-IN TO THE 9MM BULLET
On October 5, 2017, “Pobjeda Technology,” represented by Kadrija Kolić and Marsel Bajramović, submitted a request to the BiH Competition Council to initiate proceedings against “Igman d.d. Konjic” and the FBiH Government for “violating the principles of free competition.” Knowing that “Pobjeda” had little chance of winning a case against the military equipment regulators (the Directorate for Defense Industry and the FBiH Government), Kolić took this step because the request to the Competition Council was necessary for the government to ultimately give its consent, thereby weakening the business of “Ginex,” a company it owns.
Kolić used the Competition Council for this purpose and later withdrew his own request. This removed any obstacles for the government to grant “Pobjeda” permission to produce a new product—a 9mm bullet. Minister Džindić’s advisor, who had blocked the approval for six months, was punished by being forced into retirement. The truth is, “Ginex” had already received approval to start producing this bullet as a new product back in 2004, and it was planned in the company’s development strategy that production would begin by 2016. However, this did not happen due to Kolić’s appointment to the Supervisory Board in 2016 and the appointment of Hasan Tafro, co-owner and Supervisory Board member of “Pobjeda,” to the management of “Ginex,” as well as the attempts to produce gunpowder and drones. This gave Kolić full control over the pricing, technology, and development plans of “Ginex,” all while Tafro enjoys retirement.
AMERICANS WERE TOO LATE—THE DEAL WAS DONE
Kolić now represents state capital in “Ginex” while also being a co-owner of the company. This practically means that the state has been knowingly harmed, as evidenced by a significant decline in business activities over the past three years. Total revenue in 2017 was 43 million KM, but by the end of 2019, it had fallen to 32.4 million KM. The company’s profit in 2017 was 10.3 million KM, but two years later, it had been halved to 5.1 million KM. It is worth noting that “Pobjeda Technology” is both a buyer of “Ginex” products worth around 2.5 million KM and a debtor as well. As of December 31, 2019, outstanding liabilities amounted to 518,000 KM.
Kolić wasn’t satisfied with just his position on the Supervisory Board of “Ginex,” the privileged and special pricing for his private companies that do business with “Ginex,” and the appointment of his business partner to the management, but he also imposed the text for the competition to select the company’s secretary.
SECRET AUTHORIZATIONS
Article 252, paragraph (1) of the Law on Companies stipulates that a shareholder with 50% or more shares, a director, and a member of the management of any joint-stock company, as well as an owner with 50% or more ownership, a director, and a member of the management of any limited liability company, “cannot be the president or a member of the supervisory or management board representing state capital in companies with state capital participation or in funds, agencies, commissions, and other legal entities established by the Federation Government or Parliament.” The same provision is found in Article 123 of the company’s Statute. According to this provision, it is clear that Kolić not only should not have been appointed as a member of the Supervisory Board of “Unis Ginex d.d.” Goražde representing state capital but should not have even been proposed.
Despite this, the Federation Government again gave prior approval for the appointment of Kadrija Kolić as acting member of the Supervisory Board of “Ginex” representing state capital (published in the Official Gazette of FBiH No. 19/20, page 18). The company’s assembly, during the pandemic on April 28, made a decision to elect and appoint him to the Supervisory Board, with the announcement published in “Dnevni Avaz” two weeks earlier. Meanwhile, neither Kolić nor then-Prime Minister Novalić responded to questions regarding the true extent of the powers over “Ginex.” For real answers, it’s now too late. The Muslim Brotherhood, Al-Qaeda, Al-Nusra, and ISIS already have their weapons factory in Europe.
