Representatives of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska adopted amendments to the Law on Prevention of Conflicts of Interest in Entity Authorities at the last session. This caused numerous reactions, and the non-governmental sector considers that this has practically legalized a conflict of interest. We checked how many so-called “dual functions” are represented in our country and how much damage do the citizens suffer as a result?
More than 200 officials hold multiple functions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and according to the Law on Conflict of Interest, many of them are incompatible.
“We don’t see that something more than that formal story exists in reality. It is clear why it is so. It suits many political officials to take advantage of multiple positions,” says Mirjana Ćuskić from the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights.
Although the conflict of interest in the legal system of BiH is defined at the level of BiH, both entities and districts, lawyers believe that practice is a completely different story.
“He cannot be a director or acting director of a public company, but he can be an executive director in a public company or the head of a department. The legislator here seems to have taken care that there would be no conflict of interest and that elected officials have as much opportunity for private interest as possible. should by the law itself be sanctioned for putting it above the public interest,” says lawyer Dražen Nikolić.
The latest amendment to the law on the prevention of conflicts of interest in the authorities of the Republika Srpska was adopted at the last session of the NSRS.
“Elected representatives, holders of executive functions and advisors cannot be members of bodies, presidents or directors of foundations that are financed from the budget in a total amount greater than 100,000 BAM”, explains the Minister of Administration and Local Self-Government of the RS, Senka Jujić.
These changes caused numerous controversies and reactions.
“We have this small amendment that says: if they don’t receive compensation in that committee, then they can manage not only 100,000, but also 200 and 500 and a million and two and five and ten and fifty”, says the member of the NSRS (SDS) Vukota Govedarica.
“It is unimaginable to me that the president of the NSRS is the first man of the most important institution of the RS at the same time he is the head of procurement in the state hospital”, says the representative of the NSRS (PDP) Igor Crnadak.
Member of Parliament, representative, acting director, member of the board of directors, executive director… Accumulation of functions in Bosnia and Herzegovina. it has become almost a common occurrence in society. Examples of conflicts of interest and duplication of functions are numerous.
“One of the rare reasons why the government is unique is the sharing of functions and seats, government for the sake of government. There are people who receive four or five appanages, salaries and so on in different ways,” says analyst Drago Vuković.
Improving the law on conflict of interest is one of the 14 priorities of BiH on the European road. However, concrete steps in relation to this issue have not yet been made, and in the non-governmental sector, they assess that decision-makers are doing everything to, instead of tightening, lower the standard in this area and narrow the circle of persons in a conflict of interest.
“Citizens are the ones who have to earn money for all these people and for their compensations, and only the citizens suffer because of such a situation in BiH, unfortunately it is an open secret and theft of money from our pockets, which unfortunately we do not even complain about,” says Ćuskić.
In the end, the biggest price is paid by the citizens.
