The EU4Justice project, in cooperation with the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HJPC BiH), today organized a thematic dialogue in Sarajevo entitled “Reformed system of handling reports on assets and interests of judicial office holders”.
The aim of today’s meeting is to exchange experiences, good practices and lessons learned, as well as to present the results achieved. The focus is on improving cooperation between institutions, more efficient data exchange and digitalization of the process of submitting and verifying reports on assets and interests.
President of the HJPC BiH Sanin Bogunić said that the system of handling reports on assets and interests of judicial office holders has already been established in a relatively short period of time and that it is producing visible results. The number of verified judicial office holders is continuously growing.
“The system, which is aligned with the amendments to the Law on the HJPC BiH, was adopted in September 2023 and is fully functional. Those who have been appointed or have taken office are verified according to the methodology and priorities determined by the Reporting Department,” explained Bogunić.
He stated that there are five levels of priority, and the members of the HJPC BiH are in first place.
“It is logical that as the umbrella institution of the judiciary, we are the first to undergo checks. More than half of the members of the HJPC BiH have already undergone formal and additional checks,” he added.
Every 20 days, the HJPC BiH reviews between seven and ten new applications from judicial office holders, which, as Bogunić said, maintains a stable dynamics of proceedings.
He also announced that disciplinary proceedings will begin very soon for those judicial office holders, to begin with, who have not declared their assets for 2023 and 2024.
The Delegation of the European Union to BiH provides support to the domestic judiciary through the EU4Justice project.
The Head of the EU Delegation and EU Special Representative to BiH, Ambassador Luigi Soreca, recalled the importance of a credible system of asset verification for strengthening the integrity and public trust in the judiciary. He welcomed the establishment of the HJPC Department for the Verification of Asset Records of Judges and Prosecutors and pointed out that almost 98 percent compliance has been achieved since the beginning of its work, although challenges still exist.
“I would highlight two key challenges, adequate staffing of the Department and full functional independence. Today we will have the opportunity to jointly consider recommendations and find the best ways towards the full functionality of the Department,” said Soreca.
Soreca pointed out that today is a particularly important day for the judiciary of BiH, given that two key laws were to be adopted again at the session of the Council of Ministers of BiH today – the Law on the Court of BiH and the Law on the HJPC of BiH.
“The EU expects their adoption, and in a version that is fully aligned with European Union standards. Only in this way can the laws have the full support of the EU, and their adoption is a prerequisite for determining the negotiating framework,” he emphasized.
“So, I emphasize once again, it is extremely important that these laws are in line with European Union standards, especially in the part that concerns integrity. We encourage all institutional and political actors to show appropriate leadership, responsibility, and commitment to the European path,,” emphasized Soreca.
The adoption of these laws, he added, would certainly represent another significant opportunity in the context of the upcoming summit of Western Balkans and EU partners next week, and the EU expects and hopes for good news from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The adoption of these laws, Sireca reminded, is envisaged, among other things, within the Reform Agenda, which was approved last week, and the principle is that each reform is accompanied by the allocation of certain funds.
“I emphasize once again – the adoption of these laws is extremely important and we hope for good news,” emphasized Soreca.
The workshop participants will discuss today, through two panels, the topics “Transparency and Integrity in Acting on Reports: Current Status and Results”, “Completing the Establishment of an Effective System: Cooperation of Institutions, Challenges, Opportunities and Perspectives for the Future”.
The event is attended by members of the HJPC BiH, judicial office holders, representatives of the legislative authority, professional associations, non-governmental organizations and the international community.
The thematic dialogue was organized on the occasion of December 9 – International Anti-Corruption Day.
