Federal Uskok on hold: HJPC has not announced new calls for head, prosecutors, and judges even after seven days!

(Patria) - The High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) has not yet explained why it annulled the calls for prosecutors and judges in the Special Department for the Suppression of Corruption, Organized and Inter-Cantonal Crime (so-called Federal Uskok), as well as in the Special Department of the Supreme Court of FBiH.

Although we asked the HJPC on what basis they annulled the conducted calls, we did not receive an answer. Instead of the HJPC, the US Embassy responded, openly supporting the HJPC's stance and calling for the fastest possible re-procedure to be carried out so that the Special Department can be filled by the end of this year.

However, even seven days after the HJPC session, the calls have not been announced, nor is it known when this will happen.

There is no mention of the annulled call for the Special Department on the official website of the HJPC, while for some other positions of judges and prosecutors in other courts and prosecutor's offices, it is clearly explained why the procedure is being repeated, due to the fact that there were no candidates of the appropriate nationality on the ranking list, or as in another case, there were no candidates on the ranking list for proposal and appointment to the mentioned judicial position.

We remind you that the HJPC was supposed to appoint the head of the Special Department (special deputy of the chief federal prosecutor), nine prosecutors, and ten judges of the Supreme Court of FBiH. However, due to the intervention of the international community, primarily the US Embassy, the HJPC made an unexpected decision not to appoint anyone and to repeat the procedure.

The President of the HJPC, Halil Lagumdžija, tried to explain last week why there would be no appointments, stating that without the "head of the Special Department", neither prosecutors nor judges can be appointed. Candidates who were on the ranking list believe that Lagumdžija made false claims, given that the call sought nine prosecutors for the Special Department, not that the head of the Special Department selects prosecutors, and there was certainly no basis to annul the call for judges of the Special Department of the Supreme Court.

Although the US Embassy urged the Government of FBiH to find space for the accommodation of the Special Department, which was done at the beginning of September, and space was leased for five years, it is clear that at the last moment there was a change in the US Embassy's stance, which had previously insisted on the fastest possible establishment of the Special Department.

The Government of FBiH will pay for the empty space monthly starting from October 1st, at a price of 22,987 KM per month excluding VAT. With VAT, it is around 26,000 KM per month. The FBiH Civil Service Agency recently announced a call for positions in the Special Department, legal advisors, investigators, psychologists...