Citizens most frequently reported corruption in public administration

The Center for Legal Aid in the Fight Against Corruption of Transparency International Bosnia and Herzegovina (TI BiH), a project supported by the Governments of Norway and Germany, as well as Civil Rights Defenders, received 1149 calls through the free corruption reporting hotline (0800-55555) during 2014, and a large number of reports also arrived electronically, via email to [email protected] or through the website www.ti-bih.org, reports the Patria News Agency.  

TI BiH acted on 181 cases based on reports to relevant institutions, and by far the largest number in 2014 (30.3%) related to public administration, followed by the category of 'other', which refers to various citizen inquiries, especially from areas affected by floods and landslides (16.5%), judiciary (10.4%), and education (9.3%).

As in previous years, most reports concerned irregularities in the employment process, with reports of irregularly conducted public service recruitment competitions at all levels of government, as well as the hiring of employees in public institutions and public enterprises.

The number of reports concerning the work of public enterprises and public institutions has increased, with reports most frequently relating to public procurement processes and direct agreements with bidders.

A large number of reports in the 'other' category resulted from the fact that BiH was affected by floods and landslides, with over 500 reports concerning irregularities in the distribution of humanitarian aid and damage assessment.

TI BiH acted on 12 cases based on complaints about the work of judicial institutions, mainly reporting lengthy court proceedings, the inaction of prosecutors on citizen complaints, and delays in proceedings, which result in the statute of limitations for criminal prosecution or decisions not to conduct an investigation. One report concerned the work of the Chief Prosecutor of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and it was filed anonymously by prosecutors from the BiH Prosecutor's Office.

As one of the successful examples, TI BiH highlights the case of a client from Sarajevo who managed to protect their private property after a years-long struggle with the administration of the Centar Sarajevo Municipality due to illegal construction by an investor who attempted to build on their land.

TI BiH legal advisors advised the client to file a request for the protection of constitutionally guaranteed rights and freedoms in order to finally enforce the municipality's decision to demolish the illegally constructed building, and they assisted the client in drafting the request. The court granted the request and the building was demolished, and thanks to the assistance of TI BiH legal advisors, the client managed to protect their property.

However, the increased number of reports, as well as complaints about the work of judicial bodies, indicate that the prosecution of corruption remains at an unsatisfactory level. The improper application of the Law on Free Access to Information is still evident, and TI BiH filed 32 lawsuits against institutions that violated the Law during the past year alone, while 6 judgments were rendered from previously initiated proceedings for violations of the Law on Free Access to Information in favor of TI BiH.  

TI BiH once again appeals through this means for all those who have witnessed or been victims of corruption to report all observed irregularities to the competent institutions and via the free hotline 0800 55555 or the website www.ti-bih.org, it was announced from TI BiH.