Emrić still without an answer: Defense of Ćulum was priority of Independent Board, new questions for Obralija about leaving SIPA building

(Patria) - The Independent Board of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina has still not delivered an answer to state representative Jasmin Emrić (NES), due to whose question an emergency session of the Independent Board was held on Monday, March 10.

On March 3, Emrić sent a question to the Independent Board asking in what capacity, on the basis of which authorities, with what purpose and goal the director of the State Investigation and Protection Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (SIPA) Darko Ćulum attended a meeting with the president of the entity Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik, which was held on March 2, 2025 in Banja Luka under circumstances that arose after the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, at its 18th special session held on February 27, 2025, adopted unconstitutional laws prescribing the non-application and non-execution of laws and prohibiting the operation and work of the highest institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina: the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the State Investigation and Protection Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the territory of the RS.

“Did Director Darko Ćulum, by attending a meeting organized by persons who are accomplices in the preparation, organization and incitement of the adoption of unconstitutional laws by the NSRS, exceed his duties and responsibilities under Article 7, paragraph (5), point d) and Article 8 of the Law on the State Investigation and Protection Agency, and did he commit a serious breach of official duty under Article 105 of the Law on Police Officers,” asked Emrić.

Emrić reminded the Independent Board that other police leaders also attended the meeting and called on them to initiate procedures and actions to determine all circumstances, the factual situation and responsibility.

The President of the Independent Board, Enes Obralija, explained that Darko Ćulum was also present at that session and said that there was also talk about the events in Banja Luka on March 7, when SIPA employees left the building.

“We asked Director Ćulum for all necessary answers. What I can say at this moment is that we were told that SIPA employees from the Banja Luka Office went home earlier on Friday, but that this was not conditioned by the execution of any order from the MUP of the RS.

Ćulum told us that he made such a decision solely on his own responsibility, because the assessment was that it was imperative to act in this way in order to avoid any potential possibility of even a verbal incident, given some information he had, which was not provided to him in writing, and that he discussed this decision with some other representatives from state institutions,” Obralija told Raport on March 10 after the Independent Board session.

The Independent Board concluded that the leaders did not act contrary to the provisions of the Law on SIPA and the Law on Coordination of Police Bodies of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but Emrić did not receive that answer.

Regarding the attendance at the meeting of police agency chiefs, which was also attended by Milorad Dodik, they told the Independent Board members that they did not know he would be present. However, Dodik had publicly announced his presence the day before, as well as that of the member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Željka Cvijanović, with police structures in Banja Luka.

On March 11, he sent a new parliamentary question to the President of the Independent Board, Enes Obralija.

"What actions and measures has the Independent Board taken as an independent body of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina in accordance with the competencies under Article 3, paragraph (1), points c), d) and e) of the Law on Independent and Supervisory Bodies of the Police Structure of Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to determine the following:

1. On the basis of which authority and with what purpose and goal did the Director of the State Investigation and Protection Agency, Darko Ćulum, on March 7, 2025, issue an order/instruction, written or oral, to employees (police officers, civil servants and other employees) of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA), Regional Office based in Banja Luka, to leave their workplace, to take their personal weapons and leave the building, thereby carrying out the overthrow and prevention of the execution of SIPA's tasks and duties within the competence of the Regional Office Banja Luka, which was also the request of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska previously submitted to SIPA in order to implement the unconstitutional Law on Non-Application of Laws and Prohibition of Operation of Non-Constitutional Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted by the National Assembly of Republika Srpska at its 18th special session.

2. Since the order/instruction issued by the Director of SIPA, written or oral, is contrary to the established duties and responsibilities of the Director of SIPA under Article 8 of the Law on the State Investigation and Protection Agency, have you initiated and when did you initiate disciplinary proceedings to determine responsibility for a serious breach of official duty?

3. Given that the media published information that the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska submitted a request to SIPA that all employees in the Regional Office Banja Luka, on March 7, 2025, leave the building, thereby carrying out the overthrow of that institution and prohibition of operation, which constitutes elements of the criminal offense 'Attack on the Constitutional Order' under the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the provision 'whoever unlawfully attempts to overthrow the highest institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina', have you informed and when did you inform the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina of these circumstances in order to determine the responsibility of authorized persons of the MUP of the RS who initiated activities to prohibit the operation of SIPA in Banja Luka by submitting such a request to the highest police body of Bosnia and Herzegovina," asked Emrić.

The members of the Independent Board are: President Enes Obralija, Miše Ćavar, Enes Bezdrob, Nikola Džambas, Muhamed Mujakić, Darko Kremenović, Mate Miletić and Milan Stanić, whose mandate has expired.