prijava
SARAJEVO, June 27 (FENA) - The House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH considered the Report on the work of the Ad Hoc Inquiry Commission of the House of Representatives for determining the situation in the judicial institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Chair of the Inquiry Commission, Damir Arnaut, said the report contained 110 pages of extensive material plus more than 1,500 pages of attachments including all transcripts of testimony.
According to him, the Commission examined 34 witnesses, persons from the judiciary, i.e. holders of judicial functions, academics, representatives of the media, civil society and the like.
He stated that media representatives attended the sessions of the Inquiry Commission. The Commission has established extremely good and close cooperation with the international community, with representatives of several embassies, but especially with the institution specifically authorized to monitor the work of judiciary, not only in BiH but also in other countries - the OSCE, but also with the Delegation of the European Commission, especially when it comes to the situation in the judiciary regarding BiH's European path.
“In addition to that extremely close and good cooperation with the international community, what I am especially proud of when it comes to the work of the Inquiry Commission, that it was completely domestic work and that what you have in front of you is completely 'domestic product'. Cooperation with the international community was at the advisory level, at the level of support, including support for the overall concept of parliamentary oversight,” Arnaut said.
He noted that the Commission made more than 100 of its decisions unanimously and only four times had abstentions, which concerned technical issues and not any substantive differences.
“What is worrying in the report is that the Commission has established a huge link between politics and the judiciary, found that the highest holders of judicial office are not immune to political control and political influence,” said Arnaut, adding that they are satisfied that the vast majority of people in the justice sector are extremely honest, do their job well and remain out of political control.
He also referred to the recommendations given by the Inquiry Commission.
”What we recommended is vetting procedure of all members of the HJPC, presidents of courts and chief prosecutors, i.e. deputy chief prosecutors, following the example of the model made in Albania, with Albania doing it for all its judicial employees. We are proposing this for leading people in the judiciary. It is about less than 100 people in the whole of BiH,” stated Arnaut.
He added that it is necessary to significantly improve the criteria for appointment to judicial positions, but also to strengthen the role of the Office of the Disciplinary Counsel.
According to him, it is also necessary to significantly reform the institution of the human rights ombudsman, which they found to be "completely inadequate and that there is also a political connection."
(FENA) A. B.
