Being led by the importance of responsible reactions of the authorities and the institutions to the current situation caused by the spreading of the contagious disease caused by the Coronavirus (COVID-19), the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina last week procured additional quantities of disinfectants, issued mandatory instructions to the maintenance staff concerning the increased disinfection of shared premises, and partly corrected the dynamics of holding certain hearings, and accordingly duly notified the parties to the proceedings.
Mindful of the circumstances which have been developing over the past seven days, the President of the Court convened and held a meeting this morning with the Deputy President of the Court, the Heads of the Criminal, Administrative and Appellate Divisions and the Court’s Registrar.
The meeting addressed the implications of the current situation for the lawful and efficient operation of the State Court. Also, relevant consequences for the successful conduct of trials and other operating processes were analyzed while taking into account the fact that the official authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina have not issued any measure prohibiting the movement of citizens.
The President of the Court ordered that 8 (eight) measures be undertaken with an immediate effect. Among other things, it has been ordered that hearings or possible cancellation of hearings be conducted pursuant to the assessment of trial panels or single judges, depending on the region from which the parties are coming, the number of participants in the proceedings, and the necessity of holding the given hearing.
The employees falling within categories at risk have been suggested to possibly take sick leaves. In addition, the working hours have been changed from 08:00-16:00 hrs to 08:30-15:30 hrs in order to avoid having employees coming to and leaving the work post at the time of the most frequent use of means of public transportation.
The dynamics of entrance of visitors in the Court building has been reduced in the manner that 3 (three) visitors at a time will be allowed entrance, which will be supervised by the Judicial Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina invites citizens and parties to the proceedings to file submissions via mail, while asking for their understanding concerning the modified manner of entrance in the Court’s building.
The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina will continue to monitor the situation, take necessary measures in compliance with Crisis Staffs decisions, and adequately inform the public about relevant issues.
