US Ambassador: Bosnia's top judicial institution is ineffective

“The citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, like all citizens around the world, deserve good governance and the confidence that public funds – the money that comes from the sweat of their labour – are devoted to improving their day-to-day lives, “The Ambassador wrote on the occasion of the International Anti-Corruption Day marked on December 12.

He wrote that Bosnians are constantly talking about stories of corrupt politics; “that the justice sector is increasingly captured by political influence; and that people lack hope that things will improve.”

“In despair, the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina are voting with their feet – leaving the country to pursue their futures in the European Union, the United States, or elsewhere. One hears they are not 'leaving with their families,' but 'for their families.' These are people who do not believe their leaders are committed or able to improve governance, the economy, or their lives, or that they themselves are able to demand change,” he wrote.

He recalled the US support in the fight against corruption and said that they invest in supporting good governance, improving the rule of law, and preventing and combating corruption in the country.

“We have prosecutors, investigators, development workers and diplomats from the State Department, USAID, the FBI, the Department of Justice and throughout our embassy dedicated to this mission every day,” he said. We provide training, equipment and specialized know-how to your police, prosecutors and judges to investigate and prosecute corruption. We work through international organizations like the OSCE to track and evaluate anti-corruption criminal cases to promote best practices and identify problem areas. And we use financial sanctions and visa restrictions to crack down on political and commercial impunity and send a message that corruption should not be tolerated.”

Talking about the results of their aid, the ambassador wrote that the op judicial institution in the country which has the power to elect and sanction judges and prosecutors, the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council, has become ineffective, but noted that “real progress will not come until the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina demand it of elected leaders.”

“Now is the time, as a new Council of Ministers takes charge, to demand needed reforms – especially in rule of law. As the Priebe report made clear, this will require a new law on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council. The report states, 'The HJPC is often perceived by citizens and even by members of the judicial community as a centre of unaccountable power in the hands of persons serving the interests of a network of political patronage and influence',” the Ambassador wrote.

The Ambassador concluded that the stands with Bosnian institutions, businesses, civil society, investigative journalists, and brave citizens in their efforts to improve the lives of the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina.