TI BiH Wrote to the House of Peoples of the PA BiH: The Proposed Candidate for APIK Director Does Not Meet the Requirements for This Position

SARAJEVO, April 17 April 2026 – Transparency International in Bosnia and Herzegovina (TI BiH) sent a letter to the delegates of the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH warning that the legality and integrity of the upcoming appointment of the director of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption and Coordination of the Fight Against Corruption (APIK), which will be considered at the session on Monday, is questionable. The letter draws attention to the fact that the top-ranked candidate Alen Halep has not proven that he meets the requirements prescribed by the competition, as he submitted as proof of work experience in managerial positions in the relevant field, experience managing his own company engaged in electricity production.

This concerns the company “Vrbas-energija” LLC Donji Vakuf, which owns a small hydroelectric power plant Torlakovac and according to financial reports has always had only one employee. Since the requirement for the position of APIK director is at least five years of work experience in managerial positions in the relevant field, TI BiH believes that managing such a company has no connection with the prevention and fight against corruption, and on the other hand, managing a company with only one employee cannot be considered relevant experience for managing one of the most important institutions for corruption prevention.

The private company owned by Alen Halep took over permits for electricity production at SHP “Torlakovac” in 2015 and received state incentives for electricity production until 2020. It has the status of a qualified producer selling energy to Elektroprivreda BiH until 2041. .

Additional concern is raised by the fact that Halep has been employed in the Agency itself as a civil servant since 2015, while simultaneously being the owner and director of a private company, although the Law on Civil Service in BiH Institutions clearly stipulates that a civil servant cannot perform additional activities without permission.

The report on determining the ranking list of candidates for the appointment of APIK director will be considered at the session of the House of Peoples on April 20. April. TI BiH appeals to the delegates to ensure the legality of the appointment, and that all necessary verifications of the relevance of the experience of the candidate proposed for director be carried out before the decision, bearing in mind that this was omitted in the previous procedure. TI BiH emphasizes that it is necessary to ensure that a person who first and foremost meets all legal requirements, and then possesses full professional integrity, is appointed to head one of the key institutions responsible for the fight against corruption and the protection of whistleblowers.

Press rls_17.04.26