A few days ago, a notice was received by the Municipality of Šolta, the Šolta Municipal Council, the Department for Tourism and Maritime Affairs of Split-Dalmatia County, the State Administration Office in Split-Dalmatia County, the Budgetary Control Service of the Finance Ministry, and the Municipal State Attorney's Office in Split. The notice in question is a detailed report about administrative inspections carried out over the summer, from July 20 to August 20, by inspectors of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transportation and Infrastructure, based on a complaint submitted by the Island Movement about illegal activities in granting of concession authorizations, reports Otoci.eu on November 20, 2018.
Although the entire process was initiated after an Island Movement complaint, for unknown reasons the report did not arrive at its address. However, due to its persistence in trying to be informed in a lawful and transparent manner about the process, the Island Movement did eventually receive the document.
Amongst other things, the commission has ordered the Municipal Council of the Municipality of Šolta that it must, within 30 days of the receipt of the report, discuss the findings and conclusions contained in the report, as well as the state of affairs in the maritime domain management sector. However, according to available information, the municipal councillors have not yet received the report nor has a session of the Municipal Council with this item on the agenda been convened. There are just about a dozen days to call the session with the item of agenda. In the meantime, a session of the Council has been convened for Tuesday, November 20, but without this point on the agenda.
Over the summer months, chaos ruled on the island. Catering facilities started operating in May without concession authorizations or with authorizations which were granted illegally. The Maritime Domain Management Plan of Split-Dalmatia County was approved only on May 30 and that was a precondition for granting concession authorizations.
The administrative inspections included:
– regular management of the maritime domain in general use in the area of the Municipality of Šolta;
– the legality of activities of the Concession Authorization Board of the Municipality of Šolta, including the approval of applications and the issuance of concession authorizations;
– charging of fees for concession authorizations granted.
In addition to the administrative oversight of the Concession Authorization Board, the members of the Concession Authorization Board were interviewed. Only a representative of the Split-Dalmatia County had not appeared at the hearing.
Inspections of certain catering facilities were also carried out. The Island Movement does not have any additional information about the results of these inspections.
The use of budgetary funds contrary to the stated purpose and forgery of official documents are just some of the irregularities identified in the process of granting concession authorizations. This is the reason why the commission has requested further measures by the Finance Ministry in order to establish unlawful compensations for concession authorization fees and catering services, and by the Municipal State Attorney's Office in Split for the suspicion of criminal offenses of forgery of official documents.
Time will tell whether this process has touched the very tip of corrupt and illegal activities in the municipality. Given the officially initiated procedures, the Island Movement believes that it is the right time, in the public interest and in order to respect the legal regulations, to re-examine the way how the municipality is run.
This makes it clear that finger-pointing against those who warned about these and similar problems was malicious. The Island Movement hopes that the time it eagerly expects will come, that is that the truth, justice, transparency and legality of public activities will become a rule and not an exception. The Island Movement hopes that the politics on the island of Šolta will become what it should be – an honourable service for the benefit of the people.
Translated from otoci.eu.
For more on the Island Movement, click here.
