Head of the EU Delegation and EU Special Representative in BiH Ambassador Lars-Gunnar Wigemark, President of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of BiH Milan Tegeltija, and Chief Prosecutor of District Prosecutor’s Office in Doboj Željka Radović officially opened on 12 September 2017 the newly reconstructed Doboj Courthouse that was severely damaged in the 2014 floods.
Four judicial institutions of the Doboj area: District Court and Prosecutor’s Office, the Municipal and the Commercial Court will be accommodated in the reconstructed building.
“Having a proper, well-functioning, well equipped Courthouse, is essential for the efficient conducting of criminal, commercial and civil -proceedings, as well as for establishing the rule of law in general. Also, in order for the legal system to be independent, efficient and functional, it has to have adequate facilities, storage and archives and adequate courtrooms, both for legal professionals and citizens who use them. Thus, all the citizens of Doboj will benefit from this new Courthouse”, said Ambassador Wigemark during the opening ceremony.
President of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council Tegeltija reminded all present on the level of destruction of the Courthouse that happened in 2014 and on poor working conditions in which judges, prosecutors and all employees of the Courthouse have worked in during the last three years.
“I know that buildings themselves, no matter how nice they are, will not bring the rule of law without crucial work of judges and prosecutors, which they need to do every day. However, adequate space is definitely a prerequisite”, Tegeltija said, reminding of very good cooperation between the EU Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of BiH.
The reconstruction of the Doboj Courthouse was funded by the European Union in the amount of EUR 715,000, as a part of the wider assistance package of EUR 20 million of the EU support for the enhancement of the rule of law, including the funding for the reconstruction of courts and prosecutors’ offices across BiH.
(Source: europa)
