Bosnia and Herzegovina has experienced a significant decline in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), with its worst score to date of 33, which is two points lower than the previous year and nine points lower than in 2012, when BiH was among the better-rated countries in the region, it was highlighted today in Sarajevo at a press conference by Transparency International BiH (TIBiH).
TIBiH Executive Director Ivana Korajlić and TIBiH Public Relations Manager Srđan Traljić presented the Corruption Perceptions Index for 2024, noting that the focus of the CPI global survey was the impact of corruption on the environment.
BiH’s latest decline, as Korajlić stated, was significantly influenced by the collapse of the integrity of the electoral process, where serious allegations of electoral fraud have been following several election cycles.
“The amendments to the election law imposed by the high-ranking president have not solved this problem, because the Central Election Commission, through its implementation, has rendered meaningless most of the provisions that were supposed to prevent the misuse of public resources and the trading of electoral committees,” added Korajlić.
This year’s TI report emphasizes that the development of democracy and strong institutions are key to an effective fight against corruption. Countries that have the status of full democracies, as Traljić stated, have an average CPI of 73, failed democracies 47, and undemocratic regimes record an average of 33, which is also this year’s result for BiH.
It has been proven that powerful people, who profit from environmental destruction, use money and power to buy the support of the government and stifle criticism. This is also important in the context of BiH, where, after the tragedy in Jablanica and numerous environmental problems, as Korajlić added, it has been shown that the profit of individuals is far more important to the authorities than the lives, safety and health of the people who live there.
She stressed that the situation in the judiciary remains the weakest link in BiH, and the TI regional report states that the reform laws under preparation still have numerous shortcomings. The judiciary has had a disastrous record in prosecuting high-level corruption for years, and despite several court rulings against high-ranking officials in the FBiH last year, the largest scandals have still not been solved.
It was emphasized that the institutions have an obligation to undertake urgent reforms, and that Transparency International’s comprehensive National Integrity Study defined steps to combat corruption by area. Regulating conflicts of interest, systemic protection of whistleblowers, strengthening oversight of the work of the executive branch, electoral reform, strengthening the independence of the judiciary and other law enforcement agencies are the main tasks facing the institutions, and they also correspond to BiH’s European path, Fena writes.
