PRESS RELEASES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

The RS government is illegally making lists of workers who “voluntarily” give up their personal income

Press releases ● 04 April 2020

Lists of workers who allegedly voluntarily give up personal income in favor of the Solidarity Fund for the Reconstruction of the Republika Srpska are made without any legal basis and can serve as a means of pressure and discrimination against those who did not agree. (more…)

NOTICE

Press releases ● 23 March 2020

We would like to inform you that the staff of Transparency International in BiH due to the COVID-19 epidemic, he is currently working outside the office. Please apply You are sending it to the Legal Aid Center via the e-mail address centar@ti-bih.org , because the free line for reporting corruption cases (0800 55555) will not accept applications until April 27, 2020.

Thank you for your understanding.

Court decides – fugitive Stefan Karganović slandered the association he put on the list of “destroyers of Republika Srpska”

Press releases ● 02 March 2020

The list of “destroyers of the Republika Srpska”, compiled by fugitive Stefan Karganović without any evidence, was aimed at slandering non-governmental organizations, media and individuals, the Basic Court in Banja Luka concluded. (more…)

The largest number of reports of corruption to the state administration and judiciary, the number of reports of whistleblowers decreased

Press releases ● 27 February 2020

Transparency International in BiH (TI BiH) handled 173 corruption cases through the Center for Legal Aid in the Fight against Corruption, and citizens sent more than a thousand calls to the toll-free corruption hotline 0800 55555. (more…)

TI BiH organizes a roundtable on disciplinary accountability of the judicial function holders

Announcements ● 27 February 2020

Transparency International in Bosnia and Herzegovina (TI BiH) is organizing a roundtable entitled „Disciplinary Accountability of the Judicial Function Holders“ at which TI BiH will present the Analysis of disciplinary accountability of the judicial function holders in BiH from the point of legal framework, but also the practice of determining disciplinary accountability of judges and prosecutors. (more…)

TI BiH presents results of the Center for Legal Advice for 2019

Announcements ● 26 February 2020

Transparency International in Bosnia and Herzegovina (TI BiH) is organizing a press conference to present the results achieved in 2019 by the Center for Legal Advice. (more…)

Further politicization of clinically dead public administration reform

Press releases ● 10 February 2020

Transparency International in BiH (TI BiH), Foreign Policy Initiative BiH (VPI) and UG Why Do Not Invite the BiH Council of Ministers to reconsider the Proposal of the Decision on Amendments to the Decision on Establishment of Public Administration Reform Coordinator’s Offices in the Cabinet of the BiH Council of Ministers concerning the appointment of the Chief Public Administration Reform Coordinator. (more…)

The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina has refused to publish an indictment against Dragan Mektic and others

Press releases ● 05 February 2020

Due to the great public interest in this case, as well as the process of confirming the indictment, TI BiH requested complete information, but the Prosecutor’s Office claims that there is no public interest in this case. (more…)

BiH is among the countries that are falling behind the most in the fight against corruption

Press releases ● 23 January 2020

According to the Corruption Perceptions Index list, BiH dropped 11 places, receiving the worst rating in eight years, and is among the countries lagging behind the most in the fight against corruption.

Sarajevo, 23. January 2020 – According to the Corruption Perceptions Index, Bosnia and Herzegovina was rated 36 this year (on a scale of 0-100), the worst since 2012. Since the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) has been based on the existing methodology, thus ranking among the countries that are continuously declining globally. In the ranking list of the Index published by Transparency International, BiH fell by 11 places compared to last year and together with Kosovo took 101. position of 180 states. Of the countries in the region, the best placed is Croatia, which is still three places behind and ranks 63rd. position, Montenegro and Serbia received the same rating as in previous years and occupy 66th and 91st, respectively. position, and Northern Macedonia is with 93. fell to 106. place and holds the worst position in the region.

According to the report, such a large decline in BiH was mostly due to irregularities in the conduct of elections, laws in the field of financing political parties and election campaigns, which did not allow citizens the right to free and fair elections, as TI BiH pointed out. campaigns. BiH is thus one of the countries that, due to the constant increase of the most serious forms of political corruption, are not able to provide their citizens with basic human rights.

Brutal repression and threats to voters, manipulation of voter lists and election results, along with the full mobilization of state resources in the service of the ruling parties, distance the country from political responsibility and democratization. As a result of irregular elections, BiH authorities have very questionable legitimacy, which further compromises the appointment of convicted criminals to the highest executive positions. Parliaments, deprived of any function of parliamentary oversight, reduce parliamentarians to mere spokespersons of party leaders, without the possibility of any of the anti-corruption laws, such as conflict of interest laws, political party financing or the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council, in a unlikely position to be adopted.

Full political and control of organized crime over the judiciary requires priority action. Unfortunately, the initiative of civil society organizations to conduct detailed inspections (vetting) of all judicial office holders was ignored by the BiH authorities, but also by the EU. This is also part of the broader problem of the lack of implementation of the EU Strategy for the Western Balkans.

“BiH is in a situation where corruption has become an official state, entity and cantonal policy, and this can be seen in every single move of institutions – if you analyze any appointment, tender, regulation, you will see that it is a very clear particular interest. behind them “, pointed out the chairman of the Board of TI BiH Srdjan Blagovcanin, commenting on the findings of the Corruption Perception Index.

Based on detailed and comprehensive analyzes, TI BiH has prepared a proposal of measures that should address the causes of corruption in a systematic way, related to improving the election process, reforming the judiciary with a focus on vetting, detailed systematic reviews and audits of the public sector and public enterprises. to result in their rationalization and depoliticization.

Press rls 23.1.2020.

CPI 2019 final

TI BiH presents the Corruption Perception Index 2019

Announcements ● 22 January 2020

Transparency international in BiH (TI BiH) is organizing a press conference to present the results of global report on Corruption Perception Index – CPI for 2019, which will be held on Thursday, 23rd January at 09.00h at the Hotel Courtyard Marriot in Sarajevo. (more…)

Appointment of Darko Ćulum as Director of SIPA will undermine citizens’ trust in the security sector

Press releases ● 21 January 2020

TI BiH calls on the Council of Ministers not to appoint Darko Ćulum as the director of SIPA, because that would mean appointing a person against whom one of the most important law enforcement institutions is being prosecuted for the most serious forms of violations of human rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution.

Banja Luka, 21. January 2020 – Transparency International in BiH (TI BiH) calls on the Council of Ministers to reject Security Minister Fahrudin Radončić’s proposal to appoint Darko Ćulum as director of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA). TI BiH reminds the Council of Ministers and the public that Darko Ćulum was the head of the Republika Srpska Police at a time when this institution was facing serious accusations of violations of basic human rights and freedoms.

The citizens of Banja Luka reported to the Ombudsman, civil society organizations and internal police controls cases of harassment in police premises, use of excessive force and unprofessional behavior of several police officers, especially towards civil activists. At the same time, contrary to international practice, and contrary to the warnings of domestic and international organizations, the Police, led by Darko Ćulum, focused all its resources on banning public gatherings in Banja Luka for a certain group of people. at the request of several citizens. TI BiH has also filed several criminal charges against police officers on suspicion of violent behavior and abuse of office in connection with police powers, all of which were directed against members of the Justice for David group and other Banja Luka citizens recognized as supporters of the group.

TI BiH believes that the appointment of Darko Ćulum as director of SIPA, or the institution whose mandate is to fight organized and serious crime, only leads to further undermining public confidence in government, and their commitment to ending crime and corruption. TI BiH calls on the Council of Ministers not to appoint Darko Ćulum as the director of SIPA, because that would mean appointing a person against whom one of the most important law enforcement institutions is being prosecuted for the most serious forms of violations of human rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution.

Press rls 21.01.2020.

A new way of selecting members of the HJPC

Press releases ● 14 December 2019

“ The High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) urgently adopts measures to address the problems identified in the relevant reports on the state of the judiciary prepared by the EU, other international institutions and civil society organizations” is the main message of the conference “Judiciary in BiH: Status and Perspectives” held today in Sarajevo by Transparency International in BiH (TI BiH).

The conference presented an analysis of the situation in the BH judiciary, prepared in cooperation with TI BiH by legal expert and judge of the Court of BiH Branko Perić, which showed that the key problems are “lack of interest of the authorities in stabilizing the system and obvious penetration of politics into the judiciary through the levers in the HJPC “. The analysis also contains recommendations for improving the justice system, as well as improving the accountability and integrity of judicial office holders. Among other things, the recommendations refer to steps in the reform process that would include the adoption of a new law on the HJPC that would define the criteria for selecting members of the regulatory body, as well as interventions in procedural legislation and the organization of the judiciary. Also, the importance of clear and precise regulation of the responsibilities of members of regulatory bodies in the judiciary is emphasized, in order to sanction improper, inefficient and biased performance of duties of members of that body. Taking into account all relevant reports and assessments on corruption in the judiciary, TI BiH proposed a comprehensive re-evaluation of all judges and prosecutors, following the example of the method implemented in Albania. Such a reform measure would involve the introduction of temporary and specialized regulatory evaluation bodies, composed of independent non-judicial legal experts, with the participation of international experts. Through several instances, in addition to the right to appeal, they should check all judges and prosecutors as follows: 1) verification of competencies; 2) checking personal backgrounds and connections with organized crime and 3) checking property.

Also, the results of monitoring the prosecution of corruption crimes for 2018 were presented at the conference. year, as well as the first 6 months of 2019. prepared by TI BiH, and OSCE and BIRN reports on monitoring the processing of corruption cases. According to the findings of TI BiH, all resolved investigations into corruption offenses in the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH during the first 6 months of 2019. were resolved by issuing an Order suspending the investigation, and The Prosecutor’s Office of BiH in the first 6 months of 2019 did not file a single indictment for corruption offenses.

A conference on the situation in the BH judiciary was held on the occasion of the International Anti-Corruption Day, with the support of the Swedish Development Agency SIDA. The conference was attended by some of the most eminent legal experts from the country, and was attended by representatives of the HJPC, the Office of the Disciplinary Prosecutor, representatives of courts and prosecutors’ offices, and representatives of international organizations, civil society organizations, media and academia.

TI BiH organizes conference entitled „BiH Judiciary: Status and Perspectives“

Announcements ● 12 December 2019

Due to the celebration of the International Anti-Corruption Day, Transparency International in BiH, financially supported by the Swedish International Development Agency SIDA, is organizing a conference entitled „BiH Judiciary: Status and Perspectives“, which will be held on Friday, 13th December 2019 at the Hotel Bristol Novotel Sarajevo, at 10.0h.

Sarajevo, 12th December 2019 – Due to the celebration of the International Anti-Corruption Day, Transparency International in BiH, financially supported by the Swedish International Development Agency SIDA, is organizing a conference entitled „BiH Judiciary: Status and Perspectives“, which will be held on Friday, 13th December 2019 at the Hotel Bristol Novotel Sarajevo, at 10.0h.

The conference will be an opportunity to present the analysis „BiH Judiciary: Status and Perspectives“, made as a result of cooperation between TI BiH and Mr. Branko Peric, dealing with the current status of BiH judiciary. Specific emphasis is put on the functioning of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HJPC), election and appointment procedures, integrity and accountability of the judicial function holders, but the analysis also provides recommendations for the improvement of BiH judiciary.

The conference will also serve as a place to present the results of monitoring prosecution of corruption offenses in 2018, and in the first 6 months of 2019, prepared by TI BiH, including the reports prepared by OSCE and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) referring to the monitoring prosecution of corruption cases.

Please find the agenda attached.

Press conference is planned to be held at 10.10h.

Press rls 12_12_2019_e

Conference “Challenges of the Public Procurement System in Bosnia and Herzegovina”

Press releases ● 10 December 2019

Transparency International in Bosnia and Herzegovina (TI BiH) and the Center for Media Development and Analysis (CRMA) are organizing a conference “Challenges of the Public Procurement System in Bosnia and Herzegovina”, which will serve as an opportunity to discuss activities and plans to improve the legal framework on public procurement in BiH, with a focus on key anti-corruption activities in this area. (more…)

International Conference „Time to Act: Reality of Anticorruption Policies“

Announcements ● 28 November 2019

Transparency International in Bosnia and Herzegovina (TI BiH), with the support of the Swedish Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is organizing International Conference  “Time to Act: Reality of Anticorruption Policies” which will be held on November 29, 2019 at the Swissôtel Hotel in Sarajevo, starting at 09:30.

Sarajevo, November 28, 2019 – Transparency International in Bosnia and Herzegovina (TI BiH), with the support of the Swedish Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is organizing International Conference  “Time to Act: Reality of Anticorruption Policies” which will be held on November 29, 2019 at the Swissôtel Hotel in Sarajevo, starting at 09:30.

At the Conference, international experts will discuss the urging challenges in the fight against corruption from the perspective of academics and practitioners. They will address the question of responsibility for the capture of the state by the elite and how to fight corruption in such an environment, and will also offer solutions to lowering society’s apathy towards detecting corruption. They will also consider why certain approaches in fight against corruption succeed in some places while in others they do not produce results at all, and will try to resolve the key dilemma: has anti-corruption failed, and whether the approach to the fight against corruption is wrong and if the fight against corruption is a political or technical issue.

Some of the leading anti-corruption experts from the world and the region will try to answer these questions, including:

• Jose Ugaz, prosecutor who prosecuted the notorious Peruvian President Fujimori and the secretary of the secret service Montesinos who subsequently led the global front against corruption as chairman of Transparency International.
• Drago Kos, chairman of the OECD Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions, as well as one of the chairmen of the MENA-OECD Business Integrity Network, and Defense Corruption Monitoring Committee (NAKO) in Ukraine, and adviser to the Anti-Corruption Agency in Kosovo.
• Paul M. Heywood, Professor at the School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Nottingham, and currently works in Washington with Global Integrity, where he is the leader of the Anti-Corruption Evidence Program (GI-ACE)..
• Jasmin Mujanović, political scientist with a doctoral degree from York University with a specialization in post-authoritarian regimes and post-conflict democratization and a political science professor at Elon University.
• Anna Persson Professor and Lecturer at the Department of Political Science of Gothenburg University, a member of the governing board of the Institute for Government Quality (QoG), as well as the Center for Globalization and Development in Gothenburg (GCGD).

The event will bring together academics and practitioners, representatives of relevant domestic institutions, international organizations, civil society organizations and others.

The media will be addressed by H.E. Johanna Strömquist, Swedish Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Srđan Blagovčanin, Chairman of the Board, Transparency International in BiH, Drago Kos, Chairman of the OECD Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions, and Senada Šelo Šabić, Senior Researcher, Department of International Economics and Political Relations at the Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO) in Zagreb.

Satetements to the media are planned at 9:30 p.m. Detailed information on the agenda can be found below.

Press rls 28_11_2019_e

Address by civil society organizations from BiH on the preparation of a report on the situation in the judiciary

Press releases ● 19 November 2019