OFFICE FOR AUDIT CEC BIH DETERMINED THAT HELICOPTER SERVICE OF RS DROVE DODIK TO ELECTION RALLY AT CITIZENS’ EXPENSE

SARAJEVO, FEBRUARY 15 (ONASA) – Auditors of the CEC of BiH found that the Helicopter Service of Republika Srpska illegally donated its services to the SNSD and drove the then member of the BiH Presidency, Milorad Dodik, to SNSD pre-election rallies at the expense of citizens.
The Audit Office of the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina concluded that the SNSD violated the Law on the Financing of Political Parties by receiving an illegal monetary donation from the Helicopter Service of the Republic of Srpska.
SNSD states in its audit report that it reported donations from the RS Helicopter Association because it did not pay the carrier’s expenses.
Although the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina submitted to the CEC orders for flights that were justified by the performance of the public function of a member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina and tasks under his jurisdiction, but the data on the flights showed that the take-off and landing times of the helicopters coincided with the time of the meetings of the SNSD during election campaigns in 2020.
Information about this case was submitted to the CEC by Transparency International in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
They then announced that in just the first ten days of the election campaign, the RS Government helicopter flew seven times to SNSD pre-election rallies.
“The day of the planned take-off and the destination of the planned flight of the helicopter indicated on each of the orders corresponds to the date and location of the pre-election rallies that were mentioned in the application against the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats. Given that the political party SNSD did not bear part of the costs for the use of the means of transport of the Helicopter Service of the Republic of Srpska for public meeting, which was used by the member of the BiH Presidency and the president of this political party to promote the party for the 2020 local elections, the SNSD made a non-monetary donation to the public service, which is prohibited to political parties in accordance with the provisions of Article 8, paragraph (1) of the Law on the financing of political parties,” the CEC report states.
The audit report also states that SNSD tried to dispute the audit findings. However, no new evidence or information was submitted, therefore the objections were not accepted.