Deputy Director of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA), Zoran Galic, has requested to be relieved from his position, citing his eligibility for retirement.

This information was confirmed to N1 by Ivana Grizelj Corluka, Galic's legal representative, who submitted the request for his resignation before the end of his mandate.

“Mr. Galic has met the requirements for retirement,” Grizelj Corluka stated.

However, the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina did not honor Galic's request at today's session, despite it being on the agenda, as confirmed by Bosnia and Herzegovina's Minister of Security, Nenad Nesic.

“The procedure must be respected, so Galic was not relieved of his duties today as requested by his legal team,” Nesic noted.

The necessary procedure involves seeking opinions from the Independent Board and the Ministry of Security of BiH.

The Council of Ministers of BiH first wants to establish whether Galic has indeed met the retirement conditions, especially since he is wanted by the BiH Prosecutor's Office for organized crime.

Galic has been unreachable by Bosnian police and judicial authorities for almost a month, having gone to Croatia just before he was due to be arrested.

The defense claims he is on sick leave and will be receiving treatment in Croatia, denying that he is evading arrest.

Galic is accused of abusing his position as Director of the BiH Border Police, accepting bribes, and being connected with tobacco smugglers.

A second summons from the BiH Prosecutor's Office has been issued, but Galic has not responded. The Prosecutor's Office has not issued a warrant for his arrest, and to extradite him to BiH, the Prosecutor's Office must submit a formal request.

The Prosecutor's Office has remained silent on the matter, only stating that they are “taking necessary and legally prescribed procedural actions in the case.”