Press releases

Anti-corruption fight in health-care sector: The formal signing of memorandum on understanding due to the establishment of cooperation with 15 public health care institutions

Announcements ● 13 November 2019

Transparency International in Bosnia and Herzegovina (TI BIH) and Centers for Civic Initiatives (CCI) would like to invite you to attend the ceremony of Formal signing of memorandum of understanding on cooperation with 15 public health care institutions, which shall be held in Sarajevo, on Thursday, 14/11/2019 at 12.00h, at the premises of the Hotel Holiday (Zmaja od Bosne 4, Sarajevo). This event is organized as part of the project financed by the European Union, aimed at prevention of corruption and anti-corruption fight in health care sector.

The ceremony of formal signing of memorandum, which will be attended by representatives of 15 public health care institutions that will take participation in the project, will mark the beginning of cooperation aimed at improving the system of prevention and anti-corruption fight in health care sector of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Memorandum will be signed by: Cantonal Hospital Bihac; Health care center Travnik; Health care center Lopare; Health care center Banja Luka; General Hospital „Abdulah Nakas“ Sarajevo; University Clinical Center Tuzla; Health care center Bijeljina; Hospital Doboj; Hospital Gradiska; University Hospital Foca; Health center Brcko; Health care center Tomislavgrad; Health care center „Isak Samokovlija“ Gorazde; General Hospital Konjic; Cantonal Hospital Zenica.

Press conference is planned to be held at 12:15. The media will be addressed by:

• Emsad Dizdarevic,Transparency International in BiH
• Slaven Divicic, Centers for Civic Initiatives
• Representatives of health care institutions (University Clinical Center Tuzla and Health care center Lopare)

Press rls 14.11.2019_e

International Conference: “Time to Act: Reality of Anti-corruption Policies

Announcements ● 06 November 2019

Transparency International in Bosnia and Herzegovina (TIBiH) with the support of Embassy of Sweden is organizing International Conference “Time to Act: Reality of Anti-corruption Policies” which will be held on the 29 of November, 2019 in Hotel Swissôtel in Sarajevo.

The overall theme of the Conference is to address the issue of lack of progress in curbing corruption and the approach in setting up anti-corruption policies. The Conference will be a platform for academics and practitioners to discuss the urging challenges in the fight against corruption and provide a forum for exchange of ideas, knowledge and practices that would address the key dilemma: has anti-corruption failed? Some of the leading international and regional experts among which are Jose Ugaz, Drago Kos, Paul M. Heywood, Anna Persson, Senada Šelo-Šabić, will attempt to provide an answer to this dilemma.

Invitation Letter_Time to Act_Reality of Anticorruption Policies_TI BIH

Dismissed prosecutor Sasa Labotic decides – there will be no investigation against “Friends of Vlado Djajic”

Press releases ● 01 November 2019

One of the last prosecutorial decisions of the recently dismissed prosecutor Sasa Labotić is the order not to conduct an investigation against persons who presented themselves as “Friends of Vlado Đajić”, due to the misuse of patients’ personal data for political purposes.

Banja Luka, 1. November 2019 – One of the last prosecutorial decisions of the recently dismissed prosecutor Sasa Labotić is the order not to conduct an investigation against persons who presented themselves as “Friends of Vlado Đajić”, due to misuse of patients’ personal data for political purposes. Transparency International in BiH (TI BIH) has filed a criminal complaint against these individuals with the Banja Luka District Public Prosecutor’s Office (Prosecutor’s Office) based on an audio recording of a woman’s voice urging citizens to vote for Dr. Djajic.

The report due to the misuse of personal data was submitted in October last year, and the Prosecutor’s Office determined the identity of the persons who called the citizens for a year. In the end, it was established that the calls came from the official phone of the University Clinical Center of RS (UCC RS), but even that was not enough to open an investigation.

Vlado Đajić was also questioned by the police as a witness, who stated that he did not know the numbers from which citizens were invited to vote for him. He stated that he had never given anyone a list of patients, and that he knew that his personal data should not be used for political purposes. However, the use of the list of patients for political purposes for the prosecution is not disputable, so it remains unclear why evidence was collected at all, because prosecutor Labotić finally issued an order not to conduct an investigation. It states that the telephone number given for the purposes of health records is not personal data, and therefore no criminal offense has been committed.

TI BIH filed a complaint to the Collegium of Prosecutors, emphasizing that according to the Law on Personal Data Protection of BIH, the telephone number certainly represents personal data and its unauthorized use enjoys criminal legal protection. TI BiH is of the opinion that in this particular case all elements of the criminal offense of Unauthorized Use of Personal Data have been fulfilled and that this is obvious on the basis of an audio recording in which an unknown person admits that the phone numbers are from the list of patients examined by Dr. Djajic. Also, it is unclear how the Prosecutor’s Office failed to establish the identity of the persons who present themselves as “Friends of Vlado Đajić”, because this group has a page on the social network through which it monitors the work of the doctor and his political activities.

It is interesting that this decision of the prosecution is one of the last ones signed by the controversial prosecutor Saša Labotić, only five days before he was dismissed by the decision of the HJPC for hiding the information that he was convicted. Labotic became known to the general public as the prosecutor who filed the indictment against the murdered David Dragicevic, six days after his body was found, which is considered one of the biggest scandals in the history of BiH justice.

Press rls 11/1/2019

Anti-corruption training for employees in institutions in Sarajevo Canton

Press releases ● 18 October 2019

Transparency International in BiH (TI BiH) will hold a series of trainings for employees of Sarajevo Canton institutions on the construction of preventive mechanisms against corruption and the importance of transparency in the next four months, starting today (October 18, 2019). The trainings are intended for civil servants, but also for other employees of institutions, public companies and other cantonal institutions.

The aim of the training is to acquaint employees in public institutions with the forms of corruption, prevention mechanisms (proactive transparency) and channels for reporting corruption. The trainings will combine theoretical and practical knowledge, international standards and global experience in the fight against corruption of Transparency International.

Representatives of the Government of the Sarajevo Canton will acquaint the participants with the public policies of the Government in the field of the fight against corruption and publicity of work.

The trainings are held as a form of institutional support to the Government of the Sarajevo Canton, in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice and Administration of the KS, and with the support of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany.

The project plans a total of eight trainings for more than one hundred and fifty participants.

TI BiH reported the new director of RS Railways, Slavko Gligorić, due to a conflict of interest

Press releases ● 11 October 2019

Banja Luka, 11. October 2019 – Due to the incompatibility of the functions of MP and director of a public company, Transparency International in BiH (TI BiH) filed a complaint with the Commission for Determining Conflicts of Interest against Slavko Gligorić, the newly appointed acting director of Republika Srpska Railways. The law clearly states that elected officials cannot be members of supervisory boards and managements of public companies during their term and three months after their expiration, but Gligoric is also the director and member of the RS National Assembly.

TI BiH also informed the Railway Supervisory Board about that, because the appointment of Gligorić is disputable due to the Law on Public Enterprises of RS, which prescribes that someone who performs an executive function in a political party cannot be appointed a member of the management. Slavko Gligorić is currently the president of the regional board of the DNS, which according to the statute of this party certainly represents an executive function. To add to the absurdity, he is at the head of a company whose audit reports are adopted by members of the RS National Assembly, of which he is a member of parliament and in the coming period may find himself deciding on the results of his own work.

For the same reason, TI BiH reported the newly appointed director of Elektrokrajina Dragan Cavic in March this year, also due to suspicion that he is in a conflict of interest on two grounds because he is also the acting director, MP and president of a political party. However, the Commission for Determining Conflicts of Interest suspended the procedure, explaining that Cavic as the acting director “is not a director in full capacity”, nor is Elektrokrajina a “public company in full capacity” because it operates as a subsidiary within the Mixed Holding Elektroprivreda RS.

Furthermore, the director of Elektroprivreda RS, Luka Petrović, is currently performing the function of the general secretary of SNSD and is in a conflict of interest based on the Law on Public Enterprises. Therefore, TI BiH requested an explanation from the Supervisory Board of Elektroprivreda RS, which, in response without any argument, briefly states: “all appointments are made in accordance with positive legal regulations”, and the answer is signed by the President of the Supervisory Board Slavica Injac.

Despite the interpretations of the commission, the position of TI BiH is that the acting directors have exactly the same powers as the directors from the point of view of the law, which should prevent the possibility of harming the public interest. For years, TI BiH has been warning about the vagueness of the law on conflict of interest, which results in arbitrary interpretations and different decisions of the competent authorities in the same cases. Thus, the Commission did not determine the conflict of interest in the case of SDS MP Milenko Vićanović, who also performs the function of director of JP Komunalac Bijeljina, with the explanation that it is a company from the local government level, although in this case the law clearly prescribes incompatibilities. In almost the same case, former MP Nedeljko Milaković was dismissed from the position of director of a local company in Banja Luka due to incompatibility, as well as the position of MP.

Authorities have still not resolved TI BiH’s charges against the former Deputy Director of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption and Coordination of the Fight against Corruption of BiH, Dragan Andjelic, who was appointed RITE Gacko Executive Director immediately after his resignation, in violation of the Law on Conflict of Interest in Government Institutions BIH. As members of the Commission for Deciding on Conflict of Interest have not yet been appointed in front of both houses of the BiH Parliament, there is no answer to the report against the current director of RS Roads, Nenad Nesic, who is also a member of the PSBiH House of Representatives.

TIBiH reported the new director of RS Railways, Slavko Gligorić, due to a conflict of interest

Conference and street action on the occasion of the International Day of Free Access to Information

Announcements ● 26 September 2019

On the occasion of the International Day of Free Access to Information, Transparency International in BiH (TI BiH) is organizing a Conference entitled „Access to public information between practice and the law“.

Sarajevo, 26^th September 2019 – On the occasion of the International Day of Free Access to Information, Transparency International in BiH (TI BiH) is organizing a Conference entitled „Access to public information between practice and the law“.

Transparency International in BiH (TI BiH) will use this opportunity to present the results of the research it has been performing for years now concerning the implementation of the Law on Free Access to Information, including the court practice regulating this area. The panel will be a chance to discuss what kind of Law on Free Access to Information we need, and to what extent the current Law is in compliance with the best practices and international standards.

The Conference will be held on Friday, 27th September 2019, in Sarajevo (Hotel Europe, Vladislava Skarica 5) starting at 10.00h. The press conference will be held at 09.45h.

A day after, on 28^th September 219, TI BiH will organize a street action that will take place at Trg oslobodjenja – Alija Izetbegovic at noon. TI BiH plans to spend a day with citizens explaining to them how to exercise the right to access information and why public information are important.

Press rls 26.09.2019_e

Conference on anti-corruption fight in public enterprises

Announcements ● 16 September 2019

Transparency International in BiH (TI BiH) is organizing a conference entitled „Strengthening corporate governance in BiH public enterprises through anti-corruption programs“ which shall be held on 17th September, 2019 at the Hotel Swissotel in Sarajevo, at 10.00h.

Sarajevo, 16th September 2019 – conference will be an opportunity to present results of analyzing situation within BiH public enterprises, with specific emphasis on the existing mechanisms for the prevention of corruption and anti-corruption fight in BiH public enterprises. The participants of the conference will be addressed by the representatives of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and representatives of the public enterprises who actively participated in implementation of activities in the previous period.

The conference will be attended by the representatives of the relevant BiH institutions, representatives of public enterprises, international organizations, civil society organizations and the media.

Press conference will be held at 09.30h. Please find more information concerning agenda below.

Press_agenda 16.9.2019_e

Stronger supervision to reduce the risk of corruption in the health sector

Press releases ● 11 September 2019

Transparency International of Bosnia and Herzegovina (TIBiH) and the Centers for Civil Initiatives (CCI) presented today in Sarajevo the ” Analysis of the Legal-Institutional Framework and Policies for the Prevention of Corruption in Healthcare in BiH” prepared within the project Heal Health, funded by the European Union. The analysis provides an overview of the legal and bylaw framework, as well as the practice of health institutions in preventing corruption, with a focus on areas prone to corruption (public procurement, human resource management, conflict of interest, financial management).

The conducted research points to a number of deep systemic problems in the health sector, which is based on fragile foundations and inadequate capacities for the development and implementation of quality measures in the fight against corruption. Regarding the establishment of internal financial control and audit, all levels in BiH are at an early stage of establishing the system. The research showed that more than half of the surveyed public health institutions (in FBiH 54%, in RS 67%) do not have established internal supervision.

In public procurement, which is one of the areas most susceptible to corruption, the findings of the research show that PHIs do not meet professional and ethical standards, nor do they have sufficient capacity. In the FBiH, slightly less than half of the surveyed PHIs have a public procurement officer, while in the RS this is the case with half of the respondents.

The election and appointment of governing bodies in public health organizations are deeply politicized and are subject to short- term in order to form and function political coalitions. Current legal solutions do not guarantee the election and appointment of the highest quality and most competent persons in public health organizations. The research showed that there are no regulated employment policies in the health sector.

In BiH, certain health services, which are not of an urgent nature, are waiting for a very long time (for some even up to 10 months), which can affect the health and life of patients. Unclear procedures for creating and not publishing waiting lists can lead to corrupt and illegal actions in the form of bribery by health workers or self-initiated bribes by patients to speed up health services.

Through the project “Cure Health” TI BiH and CCI will work directly with 15 selected health institutions, to improve their internal legal acts governing areas prone to corruption, to show that it is possible to significantly improve the situation in some institutions and in general in the health sector .

Press release 9/11/2019

Presentation of the research “Analysis of the legal-institutional framework and policies for the prevention of corruption in health care in BiH”

Press releases ● 10 September 2019

Transparency International of Bosnia and Herzegovina (TI BiH) and Centers for Civil Initiatives (CCI) invites you to a presentation of the research “Analysis of the legal-institutional framework and policies for the prevention of corruption in health care in BiH “ which will be held in Sarajevo , September 11, 2019 (Wednesday), with a wait in 11 o’clock in the premises of the Hotel Holiday (Zmaja od Bosne 4, Sarajevo).

Within the project ” Cure Health” , funded by the European Union, in order to determine the risk of corruption in the health sector, TI BiH and CCI in the previous period conducted a study that analyzes the legal framework, internal rules and mechanisms and practices of health institutions in preventing corruption. The findings of this research, as well as recommendations for improving the system of preventing and combating corruption in the health sector, with special emphasis on public procurement, human resource management, public finances, conflicts of interest and waiting lists, will be presented during this important event.

Statements for the media are planned between 11:00 and 11:15. The media will be addressed by:

• Srđan Blagovčanin, Transparency International in BiH
• Asmir Ćilimković, Centers for Civil Initiatives
• Hasim Šabotić, Director of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption and Coordination of the Fight against Corruption (APIK)

Invitation to the media and agenda 9/11/2019

Sarajevo is among the least transparent European capitals

Press releases ● 29 August 2019

Sarajevo is the only city covered by the survey that did not have its last budget published on the website, and information on the total income of mayors and councilors for 2017 was not available. year. (more…)

RS Supreme Court confirms – RS Banking Agency is illegally hiding data on the operations of Banka Srpska

Press releases ● 05 July 2019

The court said the timely release of data may have prompted the Agency to detect illegalities in the banks’ operations in time and thus prevent them from failing, both in the case of Banka Srpska and in the cases of Bobar Bank and Balkan Investment Bank. (more…)

The BiH Prosecutor’s Office is intimidating its critics with criminal prosecution

Press releases ● 20 June 2019

The announcement of the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH that it will review negative messages about its work and form cases about them represents intimidation of the public by criminal prosecution and violation of freedom of speech and opinion. (more…)

TI BiH: Criminal charges against police officers for repression of members of the Justice for David group

Press releases ● 18 June 2019

TI BiH filed a criminal complaint against several police officers from the recordings on suspicion that they committed a more serious form of the criminal offense of Violation of Equality of Citizens by abusing their authority, for which a prison sentence of six months to five years is envisaged.

(more…)

TI BiH filed a complaint with the CEC against 14 political parties for illegal donations

Press releases ● 05 June 2019

Transparency International in BiH filed a complaint with the Central Election Commission against 14 political parties, because they received donations from legal entities that had concluded contracts with executive bodies and thus violated the Law on Financing of Political Parties in BiH. (more…)

TI BiH: Lustration is the only solution to the chaotic situation in the judiciary

Press releases ● 31 May 2019

The reputation of the judiciary has been damaged to such an extent by serious allegations and accusations of political influence, corruption, and inappropriate behavior of the highest holders of judicial office, that lustration, ie. comprehensive and objective scrutiny of all current judicial office holders is the only solution that could restore citizens’ trust. (more…)

Memorandum of Cooperation signed between Transparency International in BiH (TI BiH) and the American Chamber of Commerce in BiH (AmCham in BiH)

Press releases ● 22 May 2019

Transparency International in BiH (TI BiH) and the American Chamber of Commerce in BiH (AmCham in BiH) have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation defining areas and activities of common interest to the signatories of the memorandum, primarily in the field of corruption prevention. The memorandum was signed by Srđan Blagovčanin, Chairman of the Board of TI BiH and Kenan Karčić, President of the Board of AmCham in BiH. (more…)