The OSCE Mission in Bosnia expressed support for the investigation into the details of a recording that recently went public allegedly proving corruption within the main Bosniak party, the Party for Democratic Action (SDA).
“The OSCE Mission to BiH is closely monitoring recent developments involving members of SDA leadership. Unfortunately, this appears to be another in a series of similar incidents involving indications of corrupt practices within different political parties in BiH,” the OSCE told N1 on Monday.
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The recording was published by Semir Efendic, a candidate for the post of Sarajevo Canton SDA board chief, who said it contains the voices of SDA deputy leader Asim Sarajlic and three other persons as they are allegedly discussing vote-buying in return for a job arrangement in public institutions.
“Political parties play a crucial role in a democratic society. However, if parties are, or are perceived to be, corrupt and non-transparent, mistrust in democratic institutions can only grow. Incidents such as this one suggest that internal party governance in BiH remains underdeveloped and is subject to forms of corruption such as patronage and nepotism,” the OSCE said.
It recommended that “all political parties adopt democratic, transparent internal governance structures free from undue influence to enhance their own credibility and gain public trust.”
“The Mission supports investigation by judicial authorities into these recent allegations of corruption and will closely follow related proceedings and political developments,” it concluded.
