Knežević did SIPA's Work Program for 2020: Čović's silence is increasingly clear, HDZ has one more position

By: Amina Čorbo-Zećo

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The consideration of the Report on the Work of the State Investigation and Protection Agency for 2019 and the Work Program of the State Investigation and Protection Agency for 2020, received at the Registry of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH on 02/04/2020, is on the agenda of the session of the Independent Board of the PA BiH. The 2020 Work Program was prepared by SIPA even though they do not have a director, and the final Work Program was signed by the former Deputy Director of SIPA, Đuro Knežević. After the dismissal of Perica Stanić, the Council of Ministers appointed him as acting director, which gives him full capacity to perform duties until the end of his term, i.e., for another two years at full capacity.

He is close to HDZ, so the silence of HDZ is understandable, and it is clear why Dragan Čović is not getting involved in the increasingly complicated story surrounding the appointment of the SIPA director, which is conditioned by the appointment of Osman Mehmedagić to head the Intelligence-Security Agency, even though it was determined that he does not have a university degree, which is also the subject of investigation by the BiH Prosecutor's Office. HDZ actually has one more position, so they are in no hurry for these significant appointments to finally happen. However, SDA is not giving up on appointing Mehmedagić, so the list determined by the Independent Board has been set aside.

The Minister of Security of BiH, Fahrudin Radončić, recently proposed Darko Ćulum for the new director of SIPA, but he met the conditions for retirement on January 31st this year, and he will use his right to annual leave and other days off for the next 60 days in the hope that his status regarding the director position at SIPA will be resolved.

If he does not become the director of the state investigation and protection agency within two months, Ćulum, as the current director of the RS police, will be retired.
He remains last on the ranking list determined on November 4, 2019 - Žarko Laketa. However, the Council of Ministers must comment on his potential appointment. The list is valid as long as there are candidates on it.

However, the mandate of the Independent Board of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, which conducts interviews with candidates for the director of SIPA and creates the ranking list, has also expired, and the appointment procedure was initiated at the last session of the House of Representatives of the PA BiH.

Incidentally, members of the Independent Board must not leave their positions until they are dismissed by the competent authority for appointment.