The dependence/ independence of the legal system, competence, and moral integrity are the topics of last week’s Circle 99 session. The judiciary should act as a corrective factor for everything done by other branches of government – therefore, it is important to ask whether Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has a professional, independent, and impartial judiciary.
“The general public opinion and the lack of trust in the judiciary are not without reason. Despite numerous projects, it seems to me that the judiciary is increasingly deteriorating. Politicians first try to influence the selection of members of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) of BiH, and then further on the appointments of judges and prosecutors,” said lawyer Tatjana Savic.
Senior legal advisor in the Department for Legal Affairs of the HJPC BiH, Demir Delic, reminded how BiH, according to relevant reports – including the Priebe report, annual reports of the European Union (EU) Commission, as well as public perception and investigative journalism – is defined as a country with significant weaknesses in the concept of judicial independence, which reflects on the lack of competence and moral integrity of judiciary officials, Federalna writes.
E.Dz.
