KONAKOVIĆ LOST BATTLE AGAINST SRPSKA EVEN BRINGING DOWN SCHMIDT HIMSELF

BANJA LUKA, JULY 16 /SRNA/ – United Srpska leader and National Assembly speaker, Nenad Stevandić, statesthe investigations by SIPA and the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH into the financing of the People and Justice party show that its leader, Elmedin Konaković, has lost the political battle and foreign support in maintaining pressure on the Republika Srpska leadership, adding that even Christian Schmidt will likely have to distance himself from him.

Stevandić told SRNA that once Konaković lost his “mask and backing” against Srpska, his true nature and dealings became clear. “They can no longer pretend to be defenders of BiH when they’re clearly just defending their own criminal activities. Now that they can no longer make backroom deals with the opposition in Republika Srpska to change the government, they are being forced to face the real problem in BiH, which is complete criminalization and the influence of criminal clans on politics and the judiciary,” Stevandić explained. He adds this development has discredited Konaković and others in political Sarajevo, who were constantly accusing Srpska of illegal activities. “They were hiding behind those accusations. And now that game has fallen apart, the truth might come out - everything will become clear to everyone. Everything aimed against Srpska was just rhetoric and fabrication, while their own problems /in the Federation of BiH/ are real and concrete,” said Stevandić. He believes that Christian Schmidt, the unappointed and illegitimate High Representative in BiH, “will have to completely distance himself from these politics, if he has any sense, otherwise he’ll be pictured standing next to criminal structures.” “Konaković and his group ruined everything, including Schmidt,” Stevandić concluded. SIPA is, at the request of the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH, examining the financing of Elmedin Konaković’s People and Justice party. The BiH Prosecutor’s Office has ordered SIPA to investigate party financing as part of the Black Tie case, based on reports by Avaz, which claim that funds from drug cartels may have been used.