The President of Bosnia's top judicial institution Milan Tegeltija resigned, Wednesday after the Council adopted a conclusion calling on him to do so.

The President of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC), which appoints and sanctions judges and prosecutors in the country, then entered the hall where the session was being held and signed his resignation to all posts.

Tegeltija informed on Tuesday the HJCP of his plan to resign from all functions in the body, following the latest scandal where he was accused of allegedly trading in influence.

A BiH investigative journalism portal Istraga.ba released an audio recording last month allegedly featuring the head of the HJPC discussing the possibility of naming the sister of a former member of the Council to the post of Judge in the Banja Luka Basic Court.

According to Istraga.ba, the conversation was between him and former HJPC member Miljana Buha.

The portal also added that Buha insisted on the appointment of her sister, Sanja Cegar, and that Tegeltija can allegedly be heard saying that the “tactic” should be left to him.

Both Tegeltija and Buha denied the allegations in statements for N1, arguing that the recording proves the opposite – that they agreed such an appointment would be a conflict of interest.

Both national and international institutions condemned what could be heard on the recording, urging Tegeltija to resign regardless whether the recording was made legally. Transparency International said the recording is yet another proof that the HJPC is part of Bosnia's judiciary problem and not its solution.

The Office of the High Representative also said Tegeltija's resignation is needed in order to restore the public's trust in the judiciary, while other HJPC members urged him to resign during an earlier session.