Čegar on 'resignation' and FUP recruitment: Let it fall where it may!

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The Minister of Internal Affairs of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Aljoša Čampara, two days ago reported the acting director of the Federal Police Administration (FUP), Ensad Korman, to the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Prosecutor's Office of Sarajevo Canton, and the Independent Board of the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, for irregularities in the recruitment procedure for 88 new police cadets, reported Inforadar.

Incidentally, the recruitment process for new police officers in the FUP has been inexplicably long, a year and a half, and the final list was completed at the end of October. The entire process, according to media reports and Čampara's report, was rife with nepotism, i.e., hiring relatives and party members.

The President of the Police Board for Police Officers of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zoran Čegar, explained in a statement to Patria that he has not yet received all the relevant documents to make a decision on each candidate.
Media are reporting that due to excessive pressure from the FUP, Čegar is expected to resign in the coming days. However, Čegar tells NAP that this is his private matter and that he will do nothing outside of the law and legal procedures.

“I am not prone to populism and I despise sensationalist headlines. So, the matter is very clear, my resignation is a private matter,” said Čegar.

He emphasizes that the Board will act exclusively according to the law, but admits that various stories have reached him.

“The competition lasted a very long time. Everything went wrong from the beginning; I received information from the very tests, but without proof. I cannot act on stories, only on material evidence,” Čegar pointed out.

He confirmed that more than 20 complaints have reached the Board, and that it is being said that the children of Federal Police Administration members are also on the lists.

“That is not disqualifying. You cannot disqualify someone if they have successfully passed all tests just because they are the son or daughter of one of our colleagues. Likewise, I am not in favor of someone being hired in the competition solely because they are the child of an FUP member. I am not a person with the legal authority to annul or accept the competition. Let it fall where it may. I cannot speak about the testing itself because I was not on the commission. I have heard all sorts of things, but I have not seen them. I am not one to act on hearsay. If there were any irregularities, action should have been taken immediately,” Čegar stated.

He added that Ensad Korman, the deputy director of the FUP, received instructions and legal provisions from the Human Resources Department regarding age limits for police recruitment.

“I have not yet received a document from the Human Resources Department that adheres to the letter of the law, stating that candidates' ages are calculated from the date of contract signing. I know how it was done before. I have overseen dozens of competitions. Korman was provided with that article, but I know Korman did not have names, just as I did not have them and still do not. I am not defending him, but Korman is not to blame and the accusations against him are unfounded,” Čegar added.