The director of the post-earthquake reconstruction fund, Damir Vandjelic, said on Friday that his resignation was effective as of 17 December and that he would ensure a smooth transition, underscoring that he was not leaving out of protest but because his job of establishing the fund was done.

“I’m not leaving out of protest. I am leaving as agreed because I consider my part of the job done,” Vandjelic said at a press conference.

He added he was satisfied with the way the fund was organised, to make it efficient, transparent, and resilient to corruption.

‘I don’t plan to be a member of any party’

“When I was asked to establish the fund, it was said that my job would be over when the fund was established and efficient, that has been the deal since the very beginning,” said Vandjelic.

He underscored that the fund was functioning well internally and that it was part of a larger system, reiterating that he was not happy with the dynamic of the reconstruction process, but declined to “try and find the reasons why that is the case.”

“The biggest problem is that reconstruction is occurring after an earthquake of the intensity that hasn’t not happened in the last 120 years,” he said.

He announced that he would ensure a smooth transition to whoever takes over and make himself available for help to the fund but without any pay.

“My task is to conduct a smooth transition to people who will head the fund like I did. People like that exist,” he underscored and added that this week the fund’s steering board would select a deputy director who would take over the fund after 17 December, after which applications would be invited for the post of new director.

Asked whether he would be politically active in future, as speculated in the public, Vandjelic said that he did not intend to be a member of any party, but that he would help any party that advocated transparency and efficiency of public administration as well as the fight against corruption.

“We in the fund have proven that a public institution can be free of corruption and transparent and I will continue to advocate such public policies, not through any political party for now but as an individual, together with a team pf people who share the same views,” he underscored.

Vandjelic also presented at the press conference a new tool on the fund’s website enabling insight into all of its invoices and costs.