PRESS RELEASES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

TI BiH won the dispute against the Republic Administration for Geodetic and Property Affairs referring to the delivery of information on property owned by 44 politicians

Press releases ● 25 August 2015

Transparency International BiH won the administrative dispute against the Republic Administration for Geodetic and Property Affairs (RUGIP) which means that the Decision rejecting the request for submission of property deeds and excerpts from the Land Registry for 44 politicians was declared null and void. The requested information referred to the assets owned by Nikola Spiric, Nedeljko Cubrilovic, Mico Micic, Milanko Mihajlica, Igor Radojicic, Milica  Markovic, Nada Tesanovic, Gavrilo Bobar, Petar Djokic and others, and RUGIP kept refusing to provide the same stating it was private information.

The District Court in Banja Luka took the view that „the Land Registry is a registry of public interest, and the public Registry of real rights over the real estate“, confirming thus the allegations given in the lawsuit filed by TI BiH that this is the public information in accordance with the applicable legislation, regardless of the fact that they refer to the individual information of physical entities.

TI BiH considers this to be an extremely important judgment since the court confirmed that information on property cannot be considered personal and private, and that public authorities acting upon requests for access to information should take into account the importance of free access to information controlled by the public authorities. It is particularly important since it refers to the information on property owned by politicians who, being public figures engaged in the activities of public interest, should voluntarily make available and public all information that may influence their performance. Some politicians,  such as Mladen Bosic, Ognjen Tadic, Nikola Spiric and Vukota Govedarica, stated that they are not against having the information on their property published, while for example, Igor Radojicic, former president of the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska, and member of the current Assembly, thinks that it is personal information, which therefore cannot be available to the public.

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The second set of proposed measures for the BiH Action Plan within the Open Government Partnership has been agreed

Press releases ● 24 August 2015

Transparency International BiH (TI BiH), in cooperation with the coalition of non-governmental organizations and with the support of the Open Society Fund BiH, held a meeting at which another set of proposed measures on freedom of access to information was defined and agreed as a continuation of the public consultation process. within the Open Government Partnership. All agreed proposals for measures will be available to the general public until the end of October and open for comment on the portal http://ogp.ba/

The mentioned meeting is the second in a series of meetings aimed at defining concrete measures and activities for the first BiH Action Plan, and represents the continuation of active work of TI BiH and the coalition of non-governmental organizations on creating more transparent and accountable government. In addition to representatives of the informal coalition of non-governmental organizations (TI BiH, CPI Foundation, Center for Social Research Analytics, Why Not, Center for Investigative Journalism), the meeting was attended by representatives of other NGOs and the executive. Representatives of the RS Information Society Agency presented the results so far as well as the planned activities within the OGP initiative, and contributed to the creation of the second set of proposed measures.

The second set of measures defines activities related to raising awareness of freedom of access to information, improving direct contact with civil society, and establishing an online platform at the level of BiH and entities to consult in the process of adopting laws and regulations, and launching central portals for publication of open data. All defined proposals for measures are available to the public and can be downloaded here , and are open for comment, and at the end of the process the measures will be presented to the coordinating body together with comments and proposals that will be recorded in the public consultation process.

It was once again called on all civil society institutions and organizations, the media and the academic community to contribute and enable civic participation throughout the action planning process, and on this occasion all interested parties are again invited to take part in defining the remaining measures as defined in advance. meeting schedule .

The first set of proposals for the BiH Action Plan within the Open Government Partnership has been agreed

Press releases ● 04 August 2015

This is the first in a series of meetings through which concrete measures and activities for the first Action Plan of BiH will be defined, and it represents the continuation of active work of TIBiH and the coalition of non-governmental organizations on creating more transparent and accountable government. In addition to representatives of the informal coalition of non-governmental organizations (TI BiH, CPI Foundation, Center for Social Research Analytics, Why Not, Center for Investigative Journalism), the meeting was attended by representatives of other NGOs and the executive.

The first proposal of the set of measures defines activities related to amendments, and to improve supervision over the implementation of the law on freedom of access to information. Legislation on public procurement was partly discussed at the first meeting and a measure related to the obligation to publish detailed procurement plans, with all relevant categories and for all types of procedures provided by law, reports on the implementation of procurement plans and reports / forms for monitoring the implementation of all contracts. All defined proposals for measures are available to the public and can be downloaded here , and open for comment, and upon completion of the process, the measures will be presented to the coordinating body together with comments and proposals that will be recorded in the public consultation process.

It was once again called on all civil society institutions and organizations, the media and the academic community to contribute and enable civic participation throughout the action planning process, and on this occasion all interested parties are again invited to take part in defining the remaining measures as defined in advance. schedule holding meetings.

Resignation of the Chairman of the Board of Directors of TI BiH

Press releases ● 23 July 2015

After less than two terms in this position, the current chairman of the Board of Directors of Transparency International BiH, Emir Đikić, has submitted his irrevocable resignation from this position, due to personal reasons. The Board of Directors thanked him for his engagement so far and seven years of successful leadership of the organization, and instructed Aleksandra Martinović to perform the duty of the Chair of the Board until the election Assembly of TI BiH.

Non-governmental organizations are initiating the process of creating the BiH Action Plan within the OGP

Press releases ● 22 July 2015

The Coalition of Non-Governmental Organizations consisting of Transparency International of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Center for Civic Advocacy – CPI Foundation, Center for Social Research Analytics, Why Not and the Center for Investigative Reporting, within the Open Government Partnership (OGP) initiative invites everyone interested in participating in the process of creating the BiH Action Plan within the OGP.

The NGO Coalition has been working for more than two years to advocate and educate the government and civil society on the Partnership. As a result, BiH joined the Partnership in September 2014. and thus took responsibility for taking measures to implement the principle of open government.

The next step after joining the OGP is to create an Action Plan which obliges member states to take a number of measures and activities over a period of two years to improve the transparency and accountability of government. Therefore, the NGO Coalition will continue its activities to help BiH institutions create the first Action Plan, and will organize meetings and public consultations in the next three months, in order to define proposed measures for the first Action Plan.

The OGP action planning process encourages cooperation between government and civil society, so representatives of public institutions, civil society organizations, academia and citizens are expected to attend these meetings.

On this occasion, we invite all interested parties to register and join the meetings of the working groups, which will be held in Sarajevo and which are divided according to thematic units:

• Working group 1. – Access to information (July 29, 2015)
• Working group 2. – Public participation, information technology and open data (August 21, 2015);
• Working group 3. – Fiscal transparency, operation of public enterprises, integrity of government and new proposed measures (September 18, 2015).

More details on how to apply for the mentioned meetings, the schedule of working group meetings and the proposed measures can be found here .

Municipalities in BiH must adopt anti-corruption plans

Press releases ● 20 July 2015

The assessment of the local integrity system showed that municipalities in BiH lack key mechanisms for preventing corruption, while the responsibility of local assemblies, administrations and local political parties is very low.

Transparency International of Bosnia and Herzegovina (TI BiH) presented the research Local Integrity System Assessment (LIS assessment), which was conducted in 10 local self-government units in BiH – in the municipalities of Gracanica, Goražde, Novi Grad Sarajevo, Stari Grad Sarajevo, Teslić, Travnik, Visoko, the City of Bijeljina, the City of Mostar and the Brčko District of BiH. LIS assessment includes an analysis of the legal framework and practice when it comes to anti-corruption mechanisms at the municipal level, ie a comprehensive assessment of the system of integrity and accountability.

The general findings of the research show that local self-government units in BiH generally do not have developed instruments and capacities for the fight against corruption, nor adequate support from higher levels of government in BiH. Also, local governments lack adequate support from higher levels of government in improving their integrity system and improving the work of municipalities. The current system of internal and external audit is not in line with the real needs of local self-government units, while the accountability of local representative bodies as well as political parties at the local level is very low. Political parties do not represent the interests of citizens at the local level, nor are they transparent enough, and in all local government units covered by the survey, local parties are one of the weakest segments of the integrity system.

Chloé Berger, Head of the Section for Operations for Justice and Home Affairs and Public Administration Reform of the Delegation of the European Union to BiH, also addressed the media, pointing out: “Corruption is perceived as a constantly growing phenomenon in all sectors of public life. Citizens are most exposed to health and
education sector, but also at the level of local self-government. These are places where most citizens face corruption and where the greatest impacts on their lives are felt. The EU stands ready to support all serious efforts in Bosnia and Herzegovina to prevent and fight corruption. We have made the fight against corruption a central element of our assistance to the law enforcement sector, and we are working by awarding grants to civil society organizations to empower NGOs to address this issue. We are also working to improve accountability in the judiciary, and we have addressed the fight against corruption in the political dialogue. ”

The findings that are common to all analyzed municipalities show that in order to strengthen the integrity system at the local level, it is necessary for all local self-government units in BiH to adopt their own plans to fight corruption. Municipalities need to improve both internal and external audit mechanisms to improve financial accountability. It is necessary to improve transparency, ie to adjust citizens’ budget documents and information on the disposal of public funds, and to improve proactive transparency in local government decision-making processes in order to increase citizen participation in decision-making. To this end, it is necessary to improve cooperation with civil society organizations, especially in the field of anti-corruption, and to modernize communication with the public.

The purpose of the Local Integrity System Assessment is to provide municipalities with an objective insight and the opportunity to focus their efforts on improving anti-corruption mechanisms by focusing on poorly assessed segments of local government work. The methodology for assessing local integrity systems was developed by Transparency International and tested in Europe, South America, the Middle East and Africa.

TI BiH conducted this study within the EU-funded project “Strengthening Integrity and Good Governance for More Effective Implementation of the Anti-Corruption Strategy in BiH from the Local to the State Level”. This is the largest LIS assessment conducted in the world so far, because for the first time 10 local self-government units were covered in one country, and in each of the municipalities covered by this research, the findings for that municipality will be presented separately.

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Presentation of the report on the integrity system for 10 municipalities

Announcements ● 17 July 2015

Transparency International BiH (TI BiH) is organizing a press conference to present its survey entitled Local

Integrity System Assessment (LIS assessment) which has been conducted in 10 units of local self-government in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This assessment has been performed within the framework of an EU financed project entitled “Strengthening the integrity and good governance for better implementation of the Anti-Corruption Strategy in Bosnia and Herzegovina from local to national level” and it implies an analysis of anti-corruption mechanisms at the municipal level, and the level of the integrity and accountability system, but also as seen within legal framework and practice.

On this occasion TI BiH shall present the key results of LIS assessment for the following municipalities: Gracanica, Gorazde, Novi Grad, Sarajevo, Stari Grad Sarajevo, Teslic, Travnik, Visoko, The City of Bijeljina, the City of Mostar and the Brcko District. The assessment has been performed in accordance with the methodology developed by Transparency International, which was tested in Europe, South America, Middle East and Africa. This is the largest LIS assessment conducted so far since it includes 10 units of local self-government within one country.

The presentation shall be held on Monday, 20^th July 2015, at the Hotel Europe in Sarajevo, at 10 o’clock.

Public administration is inefficient, cumbersome and politicized

Press releases ● 13 July 2015

Transparency International of Bosnia and Herzegovina (TI BiH) held a presentation of the analysis Efficiency and Efficiency in the Structures of State Public Administration Bodies in BiH, where the findings of the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIN) on procedures for hiring civil servants and agency directors were presented.

The situation in public administration is unsustainable and the reforms are not giving the desired results, especially considering the funds that have been invested in public administration reform so far, TI BIH emphasized at the presentation. Inefficiency and cumbersome administration, unprofessionalism, lack of transparency, accountability and integrity in public administration, and corruption and irrational spending of public funds are just some of the problems that BiH authorities urgently need to face. “It is unacceptable for the state to borrow to cover the administrative costs of overcrowded public administration, with about a third of the budget going to salaries for public sector employees, while citizens pay too little for inefficient and inefficient public administration due to such a policy,” said Lejla Ibranovic. Executive Director of TI BiH.

The Ambassador of Sweden to BiH, N.E., also addressed the media at the presentation. Fredrik Schiller, and Head of the EU Delegation to BiH and EU Special Representative in BiH, HE Lars-Gunnar Wigemark. The Swedish ambassador emphasized that political leaders and government institutions must take more seriously and take responsibility for the reform processes, and that we must not forget that the citizens should ultimately feel the results of the implementation of reform activities. The head of the EU Delegation reminded that public administration reform is high on the list of EU priorities in the enlargement process, and that BiH has too expensive an administrative apparatus and that the problem of corruption is one of the key challenges. “Without addressing this issue, a step forward in the entire public administration reform process will not be possible, and one of the preconditions for an effective fight against corruption is a transparent and open public administration,” Wigemark said.

For the first time after a decade of activities in the field of public administration reform, TI BiH opened the issue of efficiency in the work of administrative bodies, focusing in the analysis on issues of individual efficiency of public administration employees, but also efficiency and effectiveness at the institutional level.

During the presentation, CIN gave examples of abuses in the process of employment in public administration, but also the consumption of public funds, which are a direct consequence of the lack of adequate bylaws that would regulate employment and spending procedures in individual areas.

TI BiH announced that in the coming period it will insist on locating clear political responsibility for reforms in public administration structures, and the priorities that TI BiH will work on in the coming period include: adjusting admission to management positions to the needs of the civil service, tightening the criteria for assessing the effectiveness of management staff in the administration, transparency of employment in the administration, objectification of the criteria used by commissions when assessing candidates, and harmonization of testing practices for admission to the civil service.

However, as a precondition for all the above, TI BiH emphasizes that it is necessary to return to the agenda as soon as possible all difficult issues that have been removed from the agenda for years, and those are primarily eliminating politicization in the process of admission and promotion and rationalization of public administration.

Press rls – 13 July 2015 doc

Presentation for the media on the public administration reform

Announcements ● 11 July 2015

Transparency International Bosnia and Herzegovina (TI BiH) is organizing a presentation for the media on the reform of public administration in Bosnia and Herzegovina, at which TI BiH will present its findings regarding so-far achieved results of the reform, paying special attention to the employment procedures in public administration of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This will also be the opportunity to introduce the analysis entitled Efficiency and effectiveness of the civil service bodies in the administrative structures of BiH, while the representatives of the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIN) will present their findings on the employment of civil servants and directors of the agencies, as well as the lack of transparency in public spending.

Apart from the representatives of TI BiH and CIN, the media will also be addressed by His Excellency Mr. Fredrik Schiller, Ambassador of Sweden in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Head of EU Delegation to BiH and Special Representative in BiH, His Excellency Mr. Lars-Gunnar Wigermark.

Presentation for the media will be held on Monday, 13^th July 2015, at the Hotel Europe in Sarajevo, starting at 11.00 o’clock.

Presentations of the Strategy and Action Plan for the Fight against Corruption were held in three cantons

Press releases ● 08 July 2015

Sarajevo, 8. July 2015 – Transparency International of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in cooperation with the Agency for Prevention of Corruption and Coordination of the Fight against Corruption (APIK), held presentations of the Strategy and Action Plan for the Fight against Corruption for the period 2015-2019. 25. June in Bosansko – Podrinje, 30. June in Central Bosnia and 2. July in Tuzla Canton.

The Anti-Corruption Strategy was adopted by the Council of Ministers in May 2015, and the aim of the presentations organized by TI BiH was to acquaint representatives of institutions in the mentioned cantons with the obligations arising from the new Strategy, so that its implementation can begin as soon as possible. was as efficient as possible. Namely, the experience with the implementation of the previous Strategy showed that one of the causes of insufficient implementation of measures from the Strategies and Action Plan lay in the fact that all actors who should have participated in the implementation were not timely or properly aware of their obligations.

The presentations were attended by representatives of the executive and legislative authorities of the canton, representatives of courts and prosecutor’s offices, public companies and public institutions, as well as representatives of the academic community, non-governmental organizations and the media. The participants were introduced to the process of adopting the Strategy, its content, and the individual pillars of the Strategy were presented in more detail, as well as individual measures from the Action Plan for its implementation. Special attention was given to the need to establish a coordination mechanism at the cantonal level, as well as to the models for establishing this mechanism.

The presentation was held as part of a project entitled “Strengthening Integrity and Good Governance for More Effective Implementation of the Anti-Corruption Strategy from the Local to the State Level”, funded by the Delegation of the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Presentation of the Strategy and Action Plan for the Fight against Corruption for the period 2015 – 2019 in the Tuzla Canton

Announcements ● 01 July 2015

Transparency International Bosnia and Herzegovina (TI BiH), in cooperation with the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption and Coordination of the Fight against Corruption (APIK), is organizing a presentation of the Strategy and Action Plan for the fight against corruption for the period 2015-2019 in the Tuzla Canton.

The presentation is aimed at introducing the Strategy content and measures provided by the Action plan to the representatives of executive and legislative authorities, public institutions and companies, and media and civil society. Special focus will be put on the obligation of establishing a coordination mechanism at the cantonal level, which is one of the key obligations of the cantonal government pursuant to the provisions of the new Strategy.

Presentation will be held on Thursday, 2^ndJuly 2015, at the hotel Tuzla in Tuzla, St. ZAVNOBIH no. 13, starting at 12 o’clock.

Presentation of the Strategy and Action Plan for the Fight against Corruption Tuzla Canton

Presentation of the Strategy and Action Plan for the Fight against Corruption for the period 2015-2019 in the Central Bosnia Canton

Announcements ● 29 June 2015

Transparency International Bosnia and Herzegovina, in cooperation with the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption and Coordination of the Fight against Corruption (APIK), is organizing a presentation of the Strategy and Action Plan for the fight against corruption for the period 2015-2019 in the Central Bosnia Canton.

The aim of the presentation is to make all the authorities of the Central Bosnia Canton familiar with the need of establishing a coordination mechanism at the cantonal level, and to introduce individual pillars of the Strategy for the fight against corruption, as well as individual measures of the Action plan for the implementation of the Strategy, all aimed at introducing the obligations arising from the new Strategy to all levels of cantonal government.

Representatives of executive and legislative authorities of the Central Bosnia Canton, representatives of public institutions and companies, as well as representatives of media and civil society are expected to take participation at the presentation.

 Presentation will be held on Tuesday, 30^th June 2015, at Central Hotel in Vitez, Poslovni centar no. 98, starting at 12 o’clock. The agenda is as follows.

Presentation of the Strategy and Action Plan for the Fight against Corruption CBC

Presentation of the Strategy and Action Plan for the Fight against Corruption in Bosnia-Podrinje Canton

Announcements ● 24 June 2015

Transparency International Bosnia and Herzegovina (TI BiH), in cooperation with the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption and Coordination of the Fight against Corruption (APIK), is organizing a presentation of the Strategy and Action Plan for the fight against corruption for the period 2015-2019 in Bosnia-Podrinje Canton.

The aim of the presentation is to make all the authorities of Bosnia-Podrinje Canton familiar with the need of establishing a coordination mechanism at the cantonal level, and to introduce individual segments of the Strategy for the fight against corruption, as well as measures of the Action plan for the implementation of the Strategy, all aimed at introducing the obligations arising from the new Strategy to all levels of cantonal government.

Representatives of executive and legislative authorities of Bosnia-Podrinje Canton, representatives of public institutions and companies, as well as representatives of media and civil society are expected to take participation at the presentation.

Presentation will be held on Thursday, 25^th June 2015, in the Assembly Hall of the Assembly of Bosnia-Podrinje Canton Gorazde, starting at 12 o’clock. The agenda is as follows.

Media announcement – 25/06/2015

Presentation of the Strategy and Action Plan for the Fight against Corruption BPC

Open letter to the Council of Ministers of BiH

Press releases ● 15 June 2015

We would like to address you regarding the fact that since November 2013, when the amendments to the Law on Conflict of Interest of BiH were adopted, which envisages a new Commission for Determining Conflicts of Interest, this body has not yet been fully formed.

Dear All,

Transparency International of Bosnia and Herzegovina considers it worrying that the BiH Council of Ministers has not yet adopted amendments to the Rulebook on Internal Organization of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption and Coordination of the Fight against Corruption, which are necessary for the transfer of Central Election Commission staff. , to the office of the Agency, ie the Commission for Determining Conflicts of Interest. Therefore, although members of the Commission have been appointed before the BiH Parliamentary Assembly and APIK, since the amendments to the Law on Conflict of Interest were adopted, its implementation has been prevented, which has unforeseeable consequences for BiH institutions and the rule of law.

TI BiH appeals to the Council of Ministers to adopt the necessary amendments to the internal acts of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption and Coordination of the Fight against Corruption as soon as possible and resolve the status of staff envisaged for the implementation of the Law. at the state level. This is of particular importance, given not only the importance of this law in ensuring the minimum integrity of elected and appointed officials, but also the fact that after the amendments to the law at the state level there was a stalemate in the application of relevant laws at the Federation and Brcko District. .

TI BiH also requests the Council of Ministers to submit a report to the public, explaining why the acts have not yet been adopted and why the implementation of the Law on Conflict of Interest has not been enabled. It is evident that the amendments to the Law on Conflict of Interest were harmful from the beginning, starting from the politicization of the body responsible for determining conflicts of interest, to the complete delay in the implementation of laws at the level of BiH, FBiH and District. Therefore, TI BiH once again appeals to the Council of Ministers to resolve this issue either by completing the process of establishing a supporting office of the Commission for Determining Conflicts of Interest, or by amending the Law again to eliminate the mentioned shortcomings.

With respect,

Open letter to the Council of Ministers

TI BiH won 14 lawsuits against institutions in 2014 years

Press releases ● 09 June 2015

During 2014, Transparency International BiH filed 32 lawsuits against public institutions for violating the Law on Freedom of Access to Information, which were mainly related to the misapplication of certain articles of the law, failure to conduct a public interest test and silence of the administration. Out of a total of 32 disputes, 14 judgments were rendered in favor of TI BiH, one dispute was lost by TI BiH, and the remaining 17 cases are still pending.

The largest number of lawsuits, 24 of them, were filed by TI BiH against public authorities for failure to submit copies of work contracts concluded during 2012. and 2013, which were required by TI BiH due to the frequent practice of institutions to circumvent employment transparency precisely through the conclusion of employment contracts.

Among the institutions sued by TI BiH for failure to submit work contracts are, among others: SIPA, Indirect Taxation Authority, Central Bank of BiH, Republic Administration for Geodetic and Property Affairs of RS, some entity and cantonal ministries, and local self-government units. It is symptomatic that in all these cases, the institutions concluded without conducting a public interest test that they could not submit copies of the contract because they would violate the Law on Personal Data Protection. Out of 24 administrative disputes, the courts resolved 10 disputes, of which TI BIH won 9 disputes. Only one dispute was lost, but in that case the procedure on the request for extraordinary review of the court decision is in progress. The remaining 14 proceedings are still pending.

One of the most recent disputes won by TI BiH was relations with the City of Banja Luka, which submitted contracts, but refused to submit the names and surnames of persons with whom contracts were concluded, with the explanation that “submission of names and surnames of persons who concluded contracts is violation of the Law on Personal Data Protection and that the submission of names and surnames of persons who concluded these contracts is irrelevant, in relation to the information on how many contracts have been concluded and how much budget funds have been allocated. TI BIH pointed out in the lawsuit that the City has a selective approach in the alleged protection of personal data, because it protects only the data of persons concluding employment contracts with the city, while for example on its official website publishes names of many persons applying for certain permits and they compete in public calls, where sometimes the names of the parents of these people are even published. The lawsuit also points out that the City concludes contracts and spends funds on behalf of citizens, which is why there is a justified public interest in submitting this information. The lawsuit of TI BIH was adopted by the verdict of the District Court in Banja Luka, and the decision of the City was annulled. The court concluded in the verdict that “by submitting the requested data, insight into the transparency of public bodies and in this case the amount of allocated budget funds for the implementation of the contract, and that the name and surname of a person does not represent personal data but social and legal identification of a natural person . ”

On the one hand, the number of lawsuits received by TI BiH against public institutions for violating the Law on Freedom of Access to Information indicates the creation of positive tendencies in court practice, but on the other hand it still shows non-transparency of institutions, their persistent disregard for legal provisions. and negligence towards public funds, because any dispute that an institution loses goes to the taxpayers. TI BiH considers that the recorded positive examples from case law are extremely important because they affirm the right to access information by teaching public authorities about the importance of publicity of their work.

Press rls – 09.06.2015..doc (more…)

The Republic Prosecutor’s Office of the RS forwarded the Bobar Bank case to the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH

Press releases ● 05 June 2015

The Republic Prosecutor’s Office of the Republika Srpska informed Transparency International Bosnia and Herzegovina (TI BiH) that the Chief Republic Prosecutor had delegated the Bobar Bank case to the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, because as stated in the letter from the Republic Prosecutor’s Office, international crime.

TI BiH previously sent a request to the Republic Prosecutor’s Office of RS to initiate a procedure for resolving conflicts of jurisdiction between the District Prosecutor’s Office in Bijeljina, which was initially charged with missing almost 10 million KM from the Bank’s vault, as well as a large number of disputed loans. which declared itself incompetent, explaining that it was not organized crime.

Given the fact that in the previous period, due to the transfer of this case between the prosecutor’s offices, no one actually dealt with investigations in the Bobar Bank case, TI BiH again sent inquiries to the Republic Prosecutor’s Office and the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH to determine whether the Republic Prosecutor’s Office conflict of jurisdiction, and whether the media allegations that the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH initiated investigative activities in this case are correct. While the Republic Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that the case had been forwarded to the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH, the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH refused to provide information, explaining that it would jeopardize the goals of preventing and detecting crime.

TI BiH notes that it is especially important that one of the competent prosecutor’s offices in BiH finally start acting in this case, informing the public as soon as possible about the details of the indictment, as well as the persons against whom the indictment was filed. As a reminder, even after more than half a year, thanks to the negligence of the investigative bodies, the public does not know who the people involved in the crime in Bobar Bank are and what crimes they are charged with, and the fact that the RS Special Prosecutor’s Office even considered it not organized crime. it best shows the extent of the systemic ignoring of this affair so far.

Answer of the Republic Prosecutor’s Office of RS

Response of the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH

Press rls – 04 06 2015 doc