After almost ten years of hesitation, the law on the protection of corruption whistleblowers should soon be adopted in the Federation, but experts note that the encouragement to report corruption will depend on the speed with which the courts will adopt protective measures.
Two years ago Sabahudin Mujcic reported corruption in the company where he worked and whose majority owner is the Federation. First he informed the director, and when nothing was done, he wrote to the chairman of the supervisory board.
As he said, instead of investigating the reported irregularities, Sabahudin’s e-mail to the board ended up with the director.
“A disciplinary procedure was started against me in a short period of time so I was suspended, and I was fired very quickly,” he says and explains that, as the technical manager of the laboratory, he pointed out the falsification of financial reports.
He sued his former employer for dismissal. The court proceedings ended in July of this year and are now he waits for a verdict.
“I hope that at least my seniority will be paid. I have no hope when it comes to prosecuting corruption,” he told and added that today he is reconsidering his decision to report the irregularities he suspected.
In the Federation, no law has yet been passed to protect persons who report corruption in institutions or companies majority-owned by the entity.
“We hope that with judicial protection we will have a more objective and efficient approach. Competent courts must react very quickly to any possibility that applicants may experience negative consequences or harmful actions due to their reporting,” mentioned Ivana Korajlic from Transparency International in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).
In the report of the European Commission on BiH for 2022, it is repeated that it is important to adopt the law in the Federation as part of wider efforts to fight corruption. The report emphasizes that sanctions for corruption are not effective enough nor do they deter corrupt behavior.
After the Government adopted the Bill, the text should now go to the representatives and delegates of the new convocation of the Federal Parliament who were elected in the last elections in October, Detektor reports.
E.Dz.
