CSS: POSKOK between politics and independence

(Patria) - Unofficial announcements, which can be heard in the corridors these days, about the intention of the Government of the Federation of BiH to annul the competition for the election and appointment of members of the Management of the Public Enterprise International Airport "Sarajevo", will represent a true test of the commitment and readiness of judicial institutions to tackle the omnipresent corruption in our society, say the Center for Security Studies.

"First and foremost, this refers to the newly formed POSKOK, a prosecutorial and judicial body established precisely by the federal government, with the intention of responding to the omnipresent scourge of organized crime and corruption.

We will remind you that POSKOK initiated an investigation against one of the candidates for the director of Sarajevo Airport, who was unofficially the most serious contender for that position by the authorities, and the Supreme Court of FBiH imposed a ban on him and certain members of the Supervisory Board from performing their duties. The forced Decision of the Government of FBiH, appointing an acting director, is pragmatic in terms of enabling the smooth functioning of the company, but it is highly questionable in terms of positive legal norms and the powers of those who issue orders.

POSKOK has recently initiated a series of investigations and filed certain indictments that the public has long awaited as a response from the judiciary to the arrogance and untouchability of individuals in power or those close to those structures. The epilogue of these activities may take a long time, given the past practice of judicial bodies, so public interest will wane, and we will not have the opportunity to see the true results of the investigations within a reasonable timeframe. If, however, the hint that the Government will dare to annul the competition for Sarajevo Airport comes true, it will be a direct and unambiguous message to the citizens that the government directly manages the judiciary and does not consider the interests of the citizens in its true commitment to fighting corruption.

Despite taking credit and promoting the establishment of POSKOK as a commitment of the federal government to the rule of law, rightly pointing out the inaction and unwillingness of the previous government, some facts should also be considered. That institution only came to life 2.5 years after the establishment of the current government, with insufficient capacity and with enormous effort and commitment from the then Deputy US Ambassador.

What was expected, and what has not been fulfilled during the current mandate, is the appointment of a parliamentary commission for deciding on conflicts of interest at the FBiH level, as well as the submission of a new Law on Prevention of Conflicts of Interest in FBiH authorities, about which the Center for Security Studies has informed the public on several occasions.

Therefore, the public eagerly awaits the outcome of the announced competition for the appointment of members of the management of Sarajevo Airport, in order to recognize, but also to test, the readiness and strength of POSKOK in the fight against corruption and the representation of citizens' interests. Employment and appointments in public institutions and enterprises are cited as the biggest cause of corruption in BiH, which is certainly one of the reasons why, according to Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index, our country is in second-to-last place in Europe along with Belarus", state CSS.