Grand Trade has been illegally consuming water for years, and the Water Company Vodovod authorities have ignored everything.
For years, Banja Luka Vodovod ignored the fact that the “Grand Trade” building in “Picin Park” in Banja Luka used water from an undeclared water meter. Although the irregularity in water consumption and use of the water network was discovered, the management of Vodovod did not react for years. Damage was caused in the amount of 25,000 KM.
Individuals, at that time, the management of the Vodovod, led by SNSD cadres, warned that “Grand Trade”, a company owned by Mile Radišić, was illegally using the water supply network of the Banja Luka Vodovod, but no one reacted because of the common political ties between Mile Radišić and the then management of Vodovod, according to Gerila info sources. Mile Radišić is one of the godfathers of SNSD leader Milorad Dodik.
Grand Trade, using an unregistered water meter, caused damage to the Banja Luka Vodovod in the amount of 25,000 KM.
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According to our sources, the last three directors of Vodovod, who are also members of SNSD, knew everything, but there was no reaction.
In the meantime, after the last local elections, after the change of government in Banja Luka, there was also a change of management in Vodovod, and SNSD lost its decade-long control in that company.
After our questions, Vodovod Banjaluka admitted that “Grand Trade” was illegally connected to the water supply network. They, in their response to Gerila info, claim that they noticed the irregularities in April of this year.
“On April 20, 2022, as part of our regular activities on intensive controls and detection of illegal consumption by both legal entities and natural persons in our consumption area, we determined that the legal entity Grand Trade used water via the connection of Vodovod Banjaluka in Vuka Karadžića Street number 2. The condition found on the water meter we subsequently invoiced the mentioned legal entity and in connection with that we concluded a settlement in such a way that Grand Trade will settle the debt in four instalments”, they answered us from the Banja Luka Vodovod.
Everything has been going on for years and the previous directors of Vodovod knew about the “Grand Trade” connection because they were informed in time about the situation on the ground, according to our sources.
Vodovod explains that Grand Trade settled most of the debt when signing the settlement, and that by settling the entire debt, this company owned by Dodik's godfather will fully indemnify the company.
The Banjaluka city administration did not want to comment on allegations of illegal use of the water supply network by Grand Trade, stating that issues related to this are within the competence of the Banjaluka Vodovod.
The mayor of Banjaluka, Draško Stanivuković, briefly told Gerila info that he was not familiar with the specific case, but he also said that he certainly supports that any illegal actions to the detriment of Vodovod or any other city public company be prevented and sanctioned.
The company “Grand Trade” did not answer our questions regarding the knowledge that they illegally connected to the water meter in Vuka Karadžića Street number 2.
The member of the SDS in the Banja Luka city assembly, Aleksandar Petković, tells Gerila info that the problem observed when it comes to the use of the water supply network by “Grand Trade” is neither unusual nor isolated when it comes to the relationship of certain “famous” businessmen with the public city and republic companies or institutions.
“This is a problem that is not only related to Vodovod, much greater brutalities happened and are happening in Elektroprivreda, where millions of KM went into the pockets of those close to the government, debts were written off, various unauthorized expenses were punished with minimal penalties or none at all. One of the examples is the Ekvator company, which in the recent past took funds of two million KM from the city budget, and millions were written off for electricity due to untimely, targeted, and deliberate lawsuits. This is just one of many examples of how millions of KM were extracted, and this was done in all segments of public goods, which means that many problems of the veteran population, pensioners and everyone else could have been solved from these items alone, and in local communities already the water supply problems of our population have been solved long ago. Unauthorized consumption is not only subject to fines, but also subject to criminal liability, which is prescribed by a prison sentence, which did not happen. Anyone who inherits things like this, no matter how good the management, needs a lot of time to bring it all back to normal,” says Petković for Gerila info.
GRAND TRADE IS OWNED BY MILE RADIŠIĆ. GRAND TRADE WITH NO RESPONSE.
Gerila info, on this topic, did not manage to get a comment from the former director of Banja Luka Vodovod, Zoran Popović. By the way, Popović is also an SNSD councillor in the Banja Luka city assembly.
Mile Radišić and his company “Grand Trade” became known to the public in Republika Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina when, ten years ago, that company began the construction of a huge residential and commercial complex in the centre of Banja Luka. Back then, many citizens and activists protested for months against the construction on the green public area and the usurpation of the living space of the Vulić family from Banja Luka.
