AND THE DIRECTOR ON HOLD: Next week's competition for SIPA deputy director, HDZ and SNSD want appointments in a package

(Patria) - The Independent Board at its meeting held on Thursday adopted the text of the Public Competition for conducting the procedure of selecting candidates for the position of Deputy Director of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA). Next week, the decision on the competition should be published in the Official Gazette of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as in daily newspapers.

This position has been vacant since October 23, when fugitive Zoran Galić was relieved of his duties as deputy director at his own request, but he has been on the run since July 8, when he evaded arrest and illegally crossed the border with Croatia, where he remains today. The Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina suspects him of abuse of office and accepting bribes while he was director of the Border Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina. SIPA is managed by Director Darko Ćulum, whose mandate also expired in July.

The Independent Board conducted the procedure for electing a new director and on September 9 established a ranking list, which was forwarded to the Minister of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nenad Nešić. The top-ranked candidate is Ćulum, the second-ranked is the head of the Financial Intelligence Department of SIPA, Ljubiša Pandurević, while the third on the list of successful candidates for the position of SIPA director is the head of the Doboj Police Administration of the Ministry of Interior of Republika Srpska, Slobodan Radinković.

Although it is the minister's discretionary right to choose one of the candidates from the list, he opted for the third-ranked Radinković. Explaining his proposal, Nešić said that this name was agreed upon "within the Serbian corps and with Milorad Dodik."

Before the session of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in mid-September, information emerged from security agencies that Radinković's name was mentioned in a conversation between two members of the criminal milieu from June this year, precisely as an announcement that he was going to a position in SIPA and that "he will have it even higher," while in Doboj he would place his own man to watch over them. Responding to a journalist's question about that recording and his connection with those individuals, Radinković said that his candidacy is still current, that nothing happened after that publication, and that he is still in the same position.

Due to this information, ministers from the parties of the "troika" in the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina were not ready to support Nešić's proposal, so that item has never been placed on the agenda.

Regarding Ćulum, regardless of the fact that his mandate has expired, the law stipulates that he remains in the position until the appointment of a new director.

Given the situation prevailing in the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is possible that these two appointments will be sought as a package.

Regarding the position of deputy director, only one candidate from the Croat ranks meets the requirements, but he is not interested. There is increasingly loud talk about the return of Đuro Knežević, a former deputy director for two terms. Knežević is the current deputy director of DKPT Enes Karić, and it is certain that he could be one of the candidates for this position. It is also possible that some other personnel who meet the requirements in cantonal Ministries of Interior may apply. However, for this position, the consent of HDZ is also needed, so it is increasingly likely that they will seek appointments in a single package with SNSD.

But how they will secure the support of the ministers of the "troika," i.e., the Bosniak vote, remains to be seen.

(A. Vrabac)