Photo: Illustration, Unsplash
The Government of Republika Srpska has leased the parking lot of the public institution Olympic Center “Jahorina” to the private-owned hotel “Termag” for 30 years at a price of 2,000 KM per year, and then the same hotel offered this parking lot to “Jahorina” for 50,000 KM per season.
Written by: eTrafika investigative team
This almost unbelievable information is confirmed by documents in possession of our portal, as well as by the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Olympic Center “Jahorina”, Nedeljko Elek, who told eTrafika that the annual rent “Termag” will pay to “Jahorina” is earned in two days. He says that “only here” does the Government make a pure profit for its own company by leasing parking to a competitor for a small amount, and then the competitor offers it to the owner for rental at a much higher price.
“This doesn’t happen anywhere else but here. There is a decision of the Government of Republika Srpska, signed by the Prime Minister of the Government of Republika Srpska, Radovan Višković, in which the said parking lot is given for 30 years for use to the company “Termag” d.o.o. Rogatica. The Government of Republika Srpska made the decision, but fortunately, the Legal Department of Republika Srpska did not approve it. The Olympic Center “Jahorina” was directly damaged in terms of serious revenues by this decision and the concession of parking space to the company “Termag”. It is nonsense for the Government to take away the parking lot from its own company and give it to another. It is a serious business and a lot of money is earned there. The reasons for renting out the parking lot are unknown to us”, says Elek.
Our interlocutor explains that on December 14, 2021, the Olympic Center “Jahorina” received a notification from “Termag” claiming that they had received approval from the Public Company “Putevi Republike Srpske” (Roads of Republika Srpska) for the “construction of parking space” with seven parking spots located in the protective zone of the regional road.
He further states that the Olympic Center “Jahorina” received a recommendation before the start of the winter season 22/23 within the conclusion of the Government of Republika Srpska at the 197th session held on December 1st of last year, to undertake all necessary activities in coordination with relevant entities to provide conditions for the start of the winter tourist season, including “providing and arranging parking space for charging parking fees on the land owned by Republika Srpska, in the area of the municipality of Pale”.
The decision of the Government of Republika Srpska, signed by Višković, states that “Termag” will construct seven parking spaces, which will be granted to the hotel as possession and ownership, as well as ramps for the underground garage with an area of 88 square meters and 18 parking spaces with an access road on the side of the underground garage with an area of 550 square meters. Additionally, the construction of two parking areas on both sides of the fire road leading to the main road Pale – Jahorina up to “Vučko” hotel is allowed, consisting of one parking area with 29 parking spaces covering an area of 365 square meters and one parking area with 12 parking spaces covering an area of 150 square meters.
“DOO ‘Termag’ Rogatica is obliged to pay 2,000 BAM per year for the entire period of servitude to Republika Srpska,” states the decision of the Government of Republika Srpska.
The Ministry of Trade and Tourism, the Legal Department of Republika Srpska, the seat of the Deputy of Istocno Sarajevo, and the Republic Administration for Geodetic and Property-Legal Affairs of Republika Srpska, Pale Regional Unit, are responsible for the implementation of this decision.
In the decision dated December 14, 2021, which was received at the “Jahorina” Olympic Center from the Public Enterprise “Putevi RS”, approval is given for the construction of a parking lot and its use, issued seven days earlier.
“We inform you that we have received a decision from the Public Enterprise ‘Putevi RS’ Banja Luka granting us approval for the construction of parking spaces (seven parking spots) located within the protective zone of the regional road, temporarily until the land is permanently designated with an access road for the parking lot of the ‘Termag’ hotel complex, located outside the protective zone of the regional road, with an access road from the right side. In this regard, we inform you that we will use the location, which is the subject of the aforementioned approval, for the purpose determined by the decision,” stated in the notification from “Termag.”
The decision of “Putevi RS” states that “Termag” requested their approval for the construction of parking spaces, and a project from the company “Radis” from Istocno Sarajevo is attached.
Subsequently, the “Jahorina” Olympic Center filed an appeal against the decision of the Republika Srpska Government, that is, the Public Enterprise “Putevi RS,” which was subsequently accepted. The decision was annulled and the matter was returned for further proceedings and decision-making.
We have made multiple attempts to contact the owner of the company ‘Termag,’ Aleksandar Lazarević, who is also, by coincidence or not, a member of the Supervisory Board of the Jahorina Olympic Center. In this company, they asked us to send questions in writing instead of a phone statement, and then denied the whole incident in a written response.
“The Jahorina Olympic Center has never leased any parking space to the Hotel ‘Termag’ for use, nor has the Hotel ‘Termag’ ever used or is currently using any parking space that is owned by the Jahorina Olympic Center. We are not aware of where the misinformation that the Olympic Center leased parking space to us came from. We responsibly state that this is not true, and it has been fabricated and maliciously spread with the aim of discrediting and tarnishing the reputation of a good, conscientious, and successful entrepreneur that ‘Termag’ has been building for years”, this was the message conveyed in the response from the aforementioned hotel.
We have also sent questions to the Ministry of Traffic and Communications, which has jurisdiction over the Public Enterprise ‘Putevi Republike Srpske’, but we have not received any answers from them, not even information on when we could expect them.
We did, however, receive somewhat confusing responses from the Republika Srpska Attorney’s Office. Although they were specifically named in the decision of the Government of Republika Srpska as one of the entities responsible for implementing that decision, they told us that they were not.
“We would like to point out the imprecision and ambiguity of the questions raised on this occasion, considering that the decision of the Government of =Republika Srpska referred to has not been specified, and for that reason, it is not possible to provide a precise answer. In the records kept at the Deputy Office in Istocno Sarajevo, we inform you that this entity has not received any case related to the lease of parking space of the Olympic Center (land owned by the Olympic Center ‘Jahorina’) in favour of the ‘Termag’ hotel. The Republika Srpska Attorney’s Office is not the legal representative of the Olympic Center ‘Jahorina’ according to the law, and therefore, we do not have access to the contracts concluded by the Olympic Center ‘Jahorina’ with natural or legal persons”, stated the Republika Srpska Attorney’s Office.
