According to the latest Corruption Perceptions Index published by Transparency International, Bosnia and Herzegovina ranks at the very bottom in Europe. Only Russia, Belarus and Serbia recorded worse results.
Inefficiency within the judiciary is cited as one of the key reasons for such a poor ranking. Other research findings indicate a complete absence of prosecution in cases of high-level corruption.
“There is no real political will to introduce adequate reforms within the judiciary, and there are no concrete results in its work. Prosecution remains selective, and in the past year there have been no indictments or verdicts in high-level corruption cases,” said Edo Kanlić from Transparency International BiH.
He emphasized that key political decision-makers in Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to preserve mechanisms that allow political control over the judiciary, which, according to him, further undermines the fight against corruption.
Due to the lack of prosecution in cases where corruption enables politicians to gain material benefits or obstruct the functioning of the state, no high-ranking officials have ended up behind bars. However, proceedings have been initiated against members of the judiciary itself.
“We have had several major cases involving individuals within the judiciary — including the president of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as prosecutors. Recently, there have been calls for dismissals of certain prosecutors. We believe it is time to reopen the issue of the overall state of the judiciary,” Kanlić added.
Investigations conducted by journalists from Detektor reveal that nine judicial office holders are currently suspended due to ongoing criminal or disciplinary proceedings. Despite being suspended, they continue to receive salaries in accordance with the law, costing the state approximately two million convertible marks annually.
“Under the Law on Salaries, judges and prosecutors are entitled to receive their salary during suspension. That is their legal right. However, the problem lies in the duration and inefficiency of these proceedings. We have examples of two prosecutors who have been suspended since 2016, and their cases are still ongoing,” said journalist Emina Dizdarević Tahmiščija.
The European Commission has repeatedly pointed to these shortcomings in its reports, stressing the lack of tangible progress in combating systemic corruption.
The absence of comprehensive judicial reform and the failure to apply existing laws have led to warnings that Bosnia and Herzegovina is nearing a threshold associated with non-democratic regimes, further deepening concerns about the country’s rule of law and European path.
