How the founder of the Supreme Court of Republika Srpska, Svetislav Stanojević, lost his apartment in the “Stanišić” building in Pale
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“Stanojević waited, and only a few months ago finally received the keys to his own apartment. He moved in, and unfortunately, today he has left us,” the Katera news portal reported in December 2021.
But how did Stanojević end up without his apartment after his death?
By Sanja Vasković
Cover photo: SPIN Info
Let’s start from the beginning.
Svetislav Stanojević was the founder and first president of the Supreme Court of Republika Srpska in Pale, where he remained after the war.
Svetislav, or Ceco as he was known, spent 14 years as a tenant at the Panorama Hotel in Pale, living in difficult conditions.
After becoming acquainted with and befriending Aco Stanišić, a businessman at the time, Stanišić offered him a place to live, according to people who knew him.
It was only years later that the issue of providing housing for the man who had made a significant contribution to the judiciary of Republika Srpska was finally addressed.
The most favourable offer — an apartment in the “Stanišić” building
The Government of Republika Srpska provided the Municipality of Pale with financial assistance for the purpose of securing housing for Svetislav Stanojević. In 2018, KM 30,000 was allocated, followed by another KM 30,000 the following year. In total, therefore, KM 60,000 was paid into the Municipality of Pale’s account for the purchase of an apartment for Svetislav Stanojević.
At the end of 2020, the municipality issued a public tender for the purchase of a residential unit.
The tender requirements stipulated that the apartment had to be located “no more than 500 metres from the centre of Pale.” The municipal centre was defined as the shopping centre on the promenade and the Health Centre. In addition, the apartment had to be newly built, located no higher than the second floor, and have “parquet flooring, with ceramic tiles in the sanitary facilities.”
Few buildings met these requirements. However, at the time, the company “Stanišić” d.o.o. was constructing residential buildings within the specified area. It was also the only company to submit a bid.
The value of the bid was within the agreed amount, totalling KM 59,904, including taxes.
In November 2020, the company “Stanišić” d.o.o. stated that the apartment was under construction and that, upon completion, all the necessary documentation for the technical inspection and transfer of ownership of the property would be provided.
At the time, the Municipality of Pale was headed by Boško Jugović, who was also a friend of Aco Stanišić. According to official records, the company “Stanišić” d.o.o. is owned by Aco’s brother, Mladen.
In May 2021, the municipal commission, together with the future occupant of the apartment, Svetislav Stanojević, inspected the newly built residential unit and concluded that the apartment was ready for occupancy.
In August of the same year, “Stanišić” d.o.o. and Svetislav Stanojević signed a preliminary agreement for the purchase of the apartment in Pale on a turnkey basis.
Ceco soon moved into the apartment, where he lived until his death, for only a few months.
He died on December 6, 2021, at the age of 83.
According to information obtained by SPIN Info, at the time the building did not have an occupancy permit, meaning that the apartment could not be registered in his name.
Former Mayor Jugović: “The man had no one; we transferred the money”
The preliminary agreement signed between “Stanišić” d.o.o. and Stanojević, which SPIN Info obtained and reviewed, states that upon payment of the full purchase price, the buyer acquires all rights relating to the use, management and disposal of the property, as well as ownership rights.
However, just two months after his death, in February 2022, the Municipality of Pale, namely Mayor Boško Jugović, issued a decision transferring the money allocated for the apartment for other purposes — specifically, to equip social housing facilities.
We also obtained and reviewed this document
.
We asked Mayor Jugović whether the entire amount had been transferred back.
“All KM 60,000 was returned. The full amount of KM 60,000 was transferred, and KM 60,000 was returned. That was a long time ago. The man died in the meantime; practically, he had no one, he was alone, and then there would simply have been a problem with the apartment — what to do with it. It seemed most logical, and we also obtained approval from the ministry that had provided the money, to use it for other purposes. The notarized agreement was terminated and the money was returned to the municipality,” the former mayor explained in a conversation with our reporters.
We also asked legal experts whether the fact that the man “had no one” was sufficient grounds for transferring the funds for other purposes.
“It is obvious from the case file, that is, from the evidence presented, that the person had heirs … In this regard, the responsibility of the Municipality of Pale for unlawful and negligent conduct is evident,” attorney Din Tešić believes.
Din Tešić, foto: Moja Hercegovina
This raises the question of whether the Municipality of Pale violated the rights of the heirs by, through a Decision amending the original Decision, withdrawing the funds contrary to their intended purpose.
Jugović maintains that everything was done in accordance with the law. In the meantime, legal proceedings were also initiated in connection with the aforementioned apartment. The case was ultimately resolved in favour of the company “Stanišić” d.o.o. The closest relatives of the former founder of the Supreme Court believe that they were harmed.
We also sought a comment from Aco Stanišić, who suggested that we ask other institutions about the matter — the Municipality of Pale, the Office of the Attorney General, or the court — and that we ask him about something else.
“You can ask me who organised the deceased’s funeral, the construction of the monument at his burial site, and the life-size bronze monument in Pale,” Stanišić said, adding that his brother would show us the company’s documentation related to the case.
