The opposition bloc in Bosnia’s Serb-dominated entity, Republika Srpska, says it has new proof that the entity premier was involved in a bribery scandal and will seek her dismissal.

Dragan Cavic, an opposition leader in Republika Srpska, on Friday said the opposition parties will launch an initiative to dismiss Prime Minister Zeljka Cvijanovic, after foreign forensic experts allegedly confirmed the authenticity of an audio recording linking Cvijanovic to a bribery scandal.

Cavic said a forensic institute from The Netherlands had confirmed the authenticity of the last year’s audio recording in which Cvijanovic could be heard talking about buying support from two opposition MPs in the assembly, so that her Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, SNSD, could form the ruling majority.

The disputable audio was published at the end of last October’s elections when both the ruling and the opposition bloc tried to establish a majority after the elections revealed only a narrow margin between the two. The origin and authenticity of the forensic analysis that Cavic mentioned could not be immediately verified, however.

This scandal has shaken the Republika Srpska and all of Bosnia, but Cvijanovic has denied the authenticity of the recording, claiming it was a fake made to topple her government.The entity prosecutor launched an investigation into the claims but this has focused on the origins of the recording; he did not order any forensic analysis to check the authenticity of the audio. “In the RS, no authentic and original evidence is worth it as a factor,” Cavic added, noting that he expected the entity’s institutions, which are run or influenced by SNSD, to deny or ignore what he called the latest evidence.

Cavic said he expected that a special session of the assembly will be held on the issue, where the opposition will try to use the new evidence to launch an initiative for a no-confidence vote.

BIRN

28 August 2015