RS police orders Bosnian state police to leave Banja Luka office

The Republika Srpska (RS) Ministry of Interior (MUP) also confirmed to Faktor that there were "certain activities" related to the SIPA office but did not provide further details.

Unofficial reports indicate that SIPA Director Darko Culum received a call from the RS police chief this morning, informing him that the entity’s police had been instructed to take control of the SIPA building. Following this, Culum ordered SIPA officers to leave the premises.

As N1 learned, employees were instructed to take their personal belongings and leave the SIPA premises. N1 team is in front of the SIPA office in East Sarajevo, where they say there are no special developments.

The Director of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA), Darko Culum, addressed certain media outlets after reports emerged that the RS Ministry of the Interior had requested the eviction of the agency's regional office in Banja Luka.

In a brief statement to the media, Ćulum said:

"It's nothing, just a regular request, a letter," he stated. He added that he is at his workplace.

This development follows RS President Milorad Dodik’s recent signing of decrees enacting laws that prohibit the operations of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Court, Prosecutor’s Office, High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC), and SIPA within RS territory. He also enacted laws establishing an entity-level HJPC, a special registry for non-profit organizations (widely referred to as the "foreign agents law"), and amendments to the RS Criminal Code introducing prison sentences for failing to implement RS institutional decisions.

These decrees have been published in the RS Official Gazette, and the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina is now expected to rule on their legality.

RS police authorities have invited all SIPA officers based in RS to join their ranks, promising immediate employment. Dodik claimed in an interview with RTRS on Thursday night that 20 SIPA officers had already applied to transfer to the RS Ministry of Interior.