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SARAJEVO, March 7 (FENA) - The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina is deeply concerned with current developments regarding the process of adoption of amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code of BiH that are related to the application of special investigative measures in serious crimes, including corruption and other economic crimes, stated Ambassador Bruce G. Berton, Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Adequate amendments are urgently needed to comply with the Decision of the Constitutional Court BiH U 5/16, as the deadline for implementation set in the Court’s Decision has already expired.
In its recent Report Trial Monitoring Of Corruption Cases In BiH: A First Assessment the Mission urged the authorities to adopt new provisions which strike a fair balance between the rights of individuals recognized under international human rights instruments and the need to ensure the effective prosecution of serious crimes.
Upon invitation by the Minister of Justice, the Mission participated as an observer in the working group which was created by the Ministry to prepare the necessary amendments. In that role, the Mission expressed its concerns with the draft adopted by the working group, in particular the lack of harmonization of the list of offences for which special investigative measures can be ordered, in accordance with international standards set in the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime. As a result, the current draft does not provide the justice system with adequate tools to fight corruption and other complex crimes.
Against this background, the Mission calls upon legislative powers to adopt, as urgently as possible, changes to the Code, which are fully consistent with international standards.
By doing this, the authorities would send a strong message that their commitment to fighting serious crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina is genuine and lasting. In this regard, the Mission positively notes that the House of Representatives will shortly discuss a proposal for amendments which, if adopted, would address the above-mentioned shortcomings, stated the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
(FENA) S. R.
