Bosnia Minister Quits Over 'threats' To Top Prosecutor

Bosnia security minister quit Tuesday to protest threats to the country's chief prosecutor in a corruption case relating to the purchase of Chinese respirators for coronavirus patients

Sarajevo, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Jun, 2020 ) :Bosnia security minister quit Tuesday to protest threats to the country's chief prosecutor in a corruption case relating to the purchase of Chinese respirators for coronavirus patients.

"I will present my resignation today after a government meeting and as of that moment will no longer be the minister," Fahrudin Radoncic told a press conference.

Bosnia's prosecutor general Gordana Tadic, who named three prosecutors for the case, has received death threats on social media, Radoncic said.

Police said they had stepped up security measures for her and her family.

"Transforming prosecutors, policemen or judges into targets is something that no security minister could watch without reacting," Radoncic said.

Last week, the prime minister of Bosnia's Muslim-Croatia half, a member of the main Bosnian Muslim SDA party, was detained as part of an investigation into the purchase of 100 respirators.

But, the SDA accused the chief prosecutor of leading a "political process".

SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic said Tadic was taking part in a "coup" against Muslim leaders and not persecuting those suspected of committing war crimes against Bosnian Muslims.

Tadic warned against any "direct pressure on the work of justice" or "endangering" herself and her family.

Since the 1990s war Bosnia consists of two semi-independent entities -- the Muslim-Croat Federation and the Serbs' Republika Srpska.

The two are linked by a weak central government.

Novalic was arrested along with the director of civil protection authority and the head of the company hired to buy the respirators.

The three men were freed on Sunday.

They are suspected of having organised the purchase of respirators, then paid some 5.4 million Euros ($6 million), which was, according to local media, at least 500,000 euros overpriced.

Also the respirators were not the right model for intensive care units where they were needed.

Bosnia, one of Europe's poorest countries, is plagued by corruption.

The Balkan nation has reported around 2,500 infections and nearly 160 deaths from the coronavirus.