prijava
SARAJEVO, January 23 (FENA) – Chairman of the Steering Board of Transparency International BiH (TIBiH) Srdjan Blagovčanin believes that "a detailed vetting procedure of all judicial officials in BiH is necessary to address the situation in BiH judiciary."
Commenting on a journalist's query on what civil society organizations, and in particular, TIBiH, can do to improve the situation after the report of Reinhard Priebe, senior EU independent legal expert, Blagovčanin recalled the initiative of civil society organizations for full review of judicial office holders.
At the same time, he said that TIBiH believes that "Priebe's report on the judiciary in BiH is full of general issues and does not identify the core of the problem, namely political and organized crime control over the judiciary, or the full connection of the judiciary with organized crime, which, among other things, witnesses the appointment of people with a criminal history".
“The public in BiH had very high expectations regarding Priebe's report, since in the context of North Macedonia, which was similarly done, using a slightly different methodology, it produced very good results and was a generator of change, and pointed out key points for concrete way,” said Blagovčanin, stating that it was expected that this logic would be followed in BiH, but unfortunately that did not happen.
Commenting on the aforementioned judicial initiative, which he said was "completely devastated," Blagovčanin said that the only solution was to seek civil society organizations led by TIBiH, that is, the vetting process.
He explains that, in accordance with certain procedures, every judicial officeholder in BiH should go under vetted procedure, "on the basis of its connection with political structures and organized crime, and on the basis of its own results".
“Something similar is happening in Albania. So this was not invented by civil society organizations, but the point here is to send a message to citizens that we are aware of the situation and that we have not yet come to a situation to stop further decline. We must start 'from scratch' the process of building a new judicial system in BiH, because the existing one does not function not in the interest of citizens, but functions in the interest of political structures and organized crime,” said Blagovčanin.
(FENA) A. B.
