Bećirović to Čović: Convene an extraordinary session of the House of Peoples

Denis Bećirović, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the BiH PA, requested in an open letter that the Speaker of the House of Peoples, Dragan Čović, convene a session of the House of Peoples before June 1st. Bećirović thus calls on Čović to listen to the voice of the public and the calls of the international community and to convene an urgent session of the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to complete the process of adopting the Law on Prevention of Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorist Activities, and amendments to the Criminal Code of BiH, reports the Patria News Agency.

- These laws have been adopted by the House of Representatives of the BiH PA, however, for them to enter into force, they must also be adopted by the House of Peoples. The next session of the House of Peoples is scheduled for June 6th, but this could be too late for the state of BiH and its citizens. The Committee of Experts of the Council of Europe (MONEYVAL) requires the competent authorities to adopt the two legal texts by the end of this month and avoid consequences with unforeseeable negative effects on the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Therefore, any delay is a kind of game not only with the citizens of BiH but also with the patience of the international community – the letter states.

Bećirović further stated that he believes Čović is well aware of this.

- But I remind you that in the coming days, Bosnia and Herzegovina could find itself under extreme political and financial pressure and appear on the black list of countries in the area of money laundering and terrorist financing. Banks and other financial institutions in BiH would face difficulties in transferring money worldwide, and all money transactions in and out of BiH would be closely monitored by financial institutions of other countries, which would lead to serious delays in money transactions. For example, remittances to our citizens from abroad would be delayed. At the same time, due to delays in money transactions, potential investors would seek other destinations for investment or would not even consider the possibility of investing in BiH. And recovery from such a degradation of the country's reputation is long and difficult – the letter states.