CBBH to Municipality Centar: Either urban permit or alternative site

Governor of the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CBBH), Senad Softić Ph.D., sent an open letter to the Mayor of Municipality Sarajevo Centar, Mr. Srđan Mandić, related to the construction of the CBBH business premises, with purpose of protecting the legally obtained rights.

Governor Softić also sent to the municipal authorities the CBBH position on the report of the adhoc working body appointed by the Mayor of Municipality Centar so that all municipal councillors could have the right and complete picture of all legal and lawful aspects of the CBBH actions, as the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina was not given a possibility to express its position on the Report in time.

In the open letter, Governor Softić declined the statements, which appeared in the media after the special session of the Municipal Council Centar, according to which the CBBH was offered various alternative sites, but the CBBH insisted on the construction of the building only on Hastahana site without accepting any other option or discussion on this issue. The only alternative site offered by Municipality Centar to the CBBH was a site in Velešići, which is not the ownership of Municipality Centar, and the Municipality does not have a right to dispose of it. As it is evident there are unsolved legal relations in respect of the alternative real estate, the CBBH declined the offer, with the detailed explanation of its reasons.

For the CBBH, the fulfilment of its strategic goal has priority importance - providing adequate business premises in order to meet legal obligations and have further development. Therefore, in an open letter, Governor Softić invites Mr. Mandić, Municipality Mayor to respect the laws and decisions of the competent institutions, and finally resolve this issue. Accordingly, the CBBH offers two options:

1) In accordance with the applicable regulations and the Conclusion of the Ministry of Communal Economy, Infrastructure, Physical Planning, Construction and Environmental Protection of the Sarajevo Canton, to issue a Decision on urban permit, or

2) To offer to the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina an adequate, appropriate alternative site.

The CBBH requires that the data on all available locations with the following characteristics are submitted to the CBBH for its consideration: area of ​​at least 2300 square meters, adequate traffic access, exclusively owned by the Municipality of Centar with 1/1 ownership title, the Sarajevo down town (Marijin Dvor and surroundings), distance from the Miljacka riverbed minimum 200 meters, the possibility of underground and aboveground construction on the principle of -2 + P + 3.

One such site is near the SCC shopping centre, and the CBBH expects to be offered this plot and speed up all administrative procedures for issuing permits for this location. The CBBH expects a response from the Municipality of Centar within seven days; otherwise, the CBBH will only have at its disposal the filing of a lawsuit to protect its rights.