prijava
SARAJEVO, December 3 (FENA) - The extraordinary session of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HJPCBiH) continued today with an introductory speech by the president of this regulatory body, followed by the addresses by members of the Council.
The focus of the discussion was the issue of the responsibility of President Tegeltija in the context of the audio recording that was leaked to the public, and the content in which he speaks about favoring and appointing the sister of a former member of the HJPC.
The HJPC members Željka Radović, Duška Bogojević and Jadranka Stanišić are of the opinion that the HJPC is again 'under attack' and that it is not appropriate to discuss the unlawfully obtained evidence against the President of the Council, focusing on the alleged threatened safety of the HJPC members and all holders of judicial office.
Without prejudice to the responsibility of the President of the HJPC, they assessed that the safety of judicial office holders has been brought to the lowest level and that members of the Council should not allow themselves to succumb to anyone's pressure.
Instead of, as they said, dealing with the priorities of judicial reform, and what has been done, "we are witnessing a substitution of the arguments, "and the HJPC, instead of dealing with issues within its competence, must deal with security issues and the environment in which the judiciary operates."
In contrast, the Council members Berina Alihodžić and Biljana Simeunović criticized the conduct of the HJPC president and demanded his resignation to protect the dignity and the position of the HJPC, as well as restore public confidence in the judiciary.
They opposed this blatant "insult to people's intelligence" and pointed out shortcomings in the process of appointing judicial office holders, noting that scandals in the incumbent president's term came one after another, alluding to the past cases of bribery and trading in influence as these scandals became known to the public. (The so-called "Potkivanje" affair).
Alihodžić wondered why the President of the HJPC did not report that he was aware he was being wiretapped or that his safety has been threatened, and Simeunović stated that the judiciary under Tegeltija's leadership was turning into a kind of reality show, in accordance with the already seen matrix.
The Council members Goran Nezirović, Sanela Gorušanović-Butigan, Selim Karamehić and Amila Kunosić are also of the opinion that the incumbent president should resign for moral reasons and out of a sense of responsibility.
It is their opinion that the public perception of the HJPC has become part of the problem, not part of the solution, and that there is no reform without facing the truth, and that the judiciary is in a crisis situation that has lasted too long and must be resolved vigorously.
They assessed that due to all the events, the culmination of which was the last audio recording, the credibility of the HJPC has been utterly diminished and that the question was whether it was possible to continue like this with Tegeltija at the helm.
As they said, the trust in the holders of judicial functions in the part of the public, as well as the international community as the most important partner, has been greatly damaged.
Part of the criticism against the incumbent president was related to his public appearances, i.e., his personification with the institution itself and the presentation of certain views without consulting the members of the Council.
Several criticisms relate to the inadequate response to the OSCE report on the state of the judiciary, concerning the lack of prosecution of high-level corruption, and the presence of the 'impunity syndrome'.
After the break, the session continued with the presentation of the opinions of the remaining members of the HJPC BiH.
(FENA) S. R.
