Bogunić: No one from state judicial institutions has expressed a desire to transfer to entity ones

(Patria) - President of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) of BiH Sanin Bogunić confirmed that no one from state judicial institutions has transferred or expressed a desire to transfer to entity ones, following the latest decisions by the authorities in Republika Srpska.

Speaking about the fact that the President of the National Assembly of RS, Nenad Stevandić, crossed the state border, despite a central warrant being issued for him, he said that the implementation of orders is carried out by security and police agencies.

“The judiciary directs investigations, however, the implementation of orders that are entered into central warrant databases should be carried out by police agencies, not the judiciary,” Bogunić said, addressing the media.

Stevandić met with Milorad Dodik in Banja Luka today, and apart from a few media outlets close to them, others were not allowed to attend the meeting.

In the first part of today's HJPC session, the report on the work of the BiH Prosecutor's Office was presented by Chief State Prosecutor Milanko Kajganić, and there were no questions about the current political situation and the detention of the President of RS Milorad Dodik, entity Prime Minister Radovan Višković, and Nenad Stevandić, for whom a central warrant was issued and the BiH Court ordered their detention.

Bogunić said that the Council's focus today was on the work report for the past year.

“As President of the Council, I am in constant contact with the acting President of the Court and the Chief Prosecutor of the BiH Prosecutor's Office, and these are new pieces of information for me related to Mr. Stevandić. Every police officer, according to the laws applicable to them, should apprehend persons for whom warrants have been issued,” said Bogunić.

The RS authorities have called on all employees in state judicial institutions who are from RS to transfer to entity institutions or face sanctions. Bogunić says that state judicial institutions are functioning normally, as before.

“All colleagues from Republika Srpska who are part of the Council certainly came to the session this morning. We are working, we are active, we are cooperating, as if nothing is happening from that side. I am also in contact with the Chief Prosecutor and the acting President of the Court. There is not a single person who has expressed a desire, or submitted a request, to transfer to other institutions,” he said.

Bogunić says he has received several calls from judicial officeholders from RS who support the lawful work of the HJPC of BiH.

Regarding the announcements for the formation of an entity HJPC, he says that the Constitutional Court of BiH has issued a temporary measure and suspended the laws adopted in the National Assembly of RS.

“According to us, as legalists, these decisions are invalid, and we will act accordingly,” says Bogunić.

Regarding the transparency of the BiH Prosecutor's Office and its communication with the media, he said that the Prosecutor's Office often does not have information it can share with the public, but that communication with the media must be improved.

“There is a whole team of people in the prosecutor's office working on this, I think this communication needs to be improved,” said Bogunić.