Kafedžić for NAP: The fight against corruption is an imperative, pressures will not stop us

The Office for Combating Corruption and Quality Management of Sarajevo Canton, headed by Erduan Kafedžić, has been exposed to various pressures in recent days after the Office filed several criminal charges against public officials in CS where irregularities were found in property declarations, such as hiding or not reporting property in accordance with legal provisions. Various interpretations of their role are also associated with the Office, and in certain political circles, they are accused of exceeding their authority. We discussed these dilemmas with the Head of the Office, Erduan Kafedžić.

Patria: The Office for Combating Corruption and Quality Management of CS has, in recent months, presented data obtained through verification of reports submitted by citizens. Some of these data indicate various abuses and non-compliance with valid laws, and the public was particularly interested in details related to the property of several mayors and councilors. In recent days, the jurisdiction of the Office you head has been questioned, which is linked to the presented data and the criminal charges you have filed with the KS Prosecutor's Office? Has the Office exceeded its authority in these cases?

Kafedžić: The Office for Combating Corruption and Quality Management of Sarajevo Canton is responsible for the implementation of the Law on Reporting and Verification of Property Data of Public Officials in Sarajevo Canton ("Official Gazette of Sarajevo Canton", No. 18/19). In accordance with this law, the Office is responsible and authorized for collecting, verifying, and processing data on the property of public officials, establishing and maintaining the Register of Property Data, as well as initiating misdemeanor and criminal proceedings for violations of the provisions of this law.

Furthermore, the Decree on the Establishment and Maintenance of the Register of Personal Data on Property and the Procedure for Verifying the Property of Public Officials in Sarajevo Canton prescribes the method of establishment, content, form, and manner of maintaining the Register of Property Data of Public Officials in Sarajevo Canton, receipt of reports on property data and gifts from public officials, method of storing and destroying data, procedure for control and verification of property data and gifts, initiation of misdemeanor proceedings, filing reports with competent authorities, and other matters of significance for the establishment and maintenance of the Register.
Therefore, all activities of the Office in the area of collecting, verifying, and processing data on the property of public officials in Sarajevo Canton are within the scope of authority granted by the aforementioned Law and Decree. The supervision of the Office's work in this area is carried out by the Assembly of Sarajevo Canton.

Patria: As the head of the Office, you stand behind the presented data, which means you also support your team working on the reports. Can you tell us more about the Office employees, other than that they are civil servants. Do they have prior experience in corruption cases, what is their level of education, where did they work before?

Kafedžić: The employees of the Office, according to the complexity of their work, have the legal status of civil servants or employees, in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Civil Service in Sarajevo Canton or the provisions of the Law on Employees in State Service Bodies in FBiH. The most complex tasks in the Office are performed by civil servants - expert advisors.

All employed civil servants in the Office have a higher education degree or other educational or academic qualifications of at least VII degree of professional qualification, as well as the legally prescribed work experience in the profession required for performing the duties of a civil servant.

The Office has professional, qualified, and highly educated staff, with university degrees in law, economics, criminology, and other social sciences.
Through periodic professional training and development via training, education, and seminars, the professionalism of the Office employees is enhanced. Also, certain employees of the Office, along with officers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of KS and prosecutors from the KS Prosecutor's Office, attend a training program implemented by the American Bar Association (ABA ROLI), supported by the American State Department, on the topic of "Cooperation and Partnership in the Criminal Justice System of Bosnia and Herzegovina" (CJ-CAP).

Patria: Although it is no secret that the Office enjoys great support from foreign embassies precisely because of the fight against corruption, the work of the Office is based on domestic legislation and has the support of the KS Government. Certain political circles view the Office as an extended arm of the KS Government. How independent are you in your work and what pressures do you face?

Kafedžić: The Office was established as a professional service of the Government of Sarajevo Canton, but it is also separate and independent, and any form of influence on the employees of the Office is prohibited. Article 10 of the Decree on the Establishment of the Office for Combating Corruption and Quality Management of Sarajevo Canton stipulates that all institutions founded by Sarajevo Canton (administrative bodies, services, administrative organizations, judicial institutions, public institutions, institutes, extra-budgetary funds, public enterprises, etc. founded by Sarajevo Canton or in which Sarajevo Canton has founding rights) are obliged to cooperate with the Office in carrying out activities within the scope of the Office's work. This cooperation particularly relates to the obligation of the aforementioned institutions to provide priority access to all documentation for the employees of the Office (directly, on-site, or indirectly, by providing documentation upon request from the Office) for the purpose of performing tasks within the Office's jurisdiction.

The fight against corruption inevitably brings with it various forms of pressure, however, as the head of the Office, I believe that the fight against corruption is an imperative, an activity that has no alternative, and the pressures we are exposed to are not and will not be a reason for us to falter or give up.

Patria: Due to public interest, can you explain the role of advisor Eric Larson in the Office? It seems that citizens, encouraged by the presence of Larson, who was once a prosecutor in BiH, report criminal offenses that should actually be the subject of other police and judicial bodies with whom you closely cooperate. Do you receive such reports and how do you handle them when you receive them?

Kafedžić: The role of Mr. Larson is defined by the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Sarajevo Canton and the Embassy of the United States of America in our country. Mr. Larson is a Senior Advisor for Combating Corruption at the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.

His work within the Office is exclusively advisory, particularly in terms of strategic advice on systemic reforms.

The activities of the Office aim to collect data and inform competent authorities about observed actions that may have corrupt elements. Therefore, the goal of the Office's actions is not to identify individual responsibility, but to detect and prevent corruption in the institutions of Sarajevo Canton. Criminal investigations in the fight against corruption are conducted by judicial bodies.