Who Still Respects the Census? In SIPA, the Number of Serb and Bosniak Employees Is Now Equal, Including in Leadership Positions

(Patria) - Compared to December 2024, the number of employees in the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) has decreased. In December, it had 744 employees, and in October 2025, 717.

In response to Patria's inquiry about the ethnic structure, SIPA provided data. The number of Bosniaks and Serbs is equal, with 301 employees each, 113 Croats, and only two from other groups. State police agencies are staffed according to the 1991 Census. Although according to that census the number of Bosniaks should be higher, this is not the case in this police agency, which is headed by Darko Ćulum.

According to data from December 2024, for the first time since its establishment, the number of Serbs was higher than the number of Bosniaks (313:306). Since December, the number of Croats has also decreased from 123 to 113.

When it comes to leadership positions in SIPA, the situation is identical to the number of employees, meaning the number of Serbs and Bosniaks is equal. Thus, out of 16 leadership positions, Serbs and Bosniaks each hold seven, Croats hold two, while the position of deputy director has been vacant since Zoran Galić fled in July 2024.

It should be recalled that after the call by Milorad Dodik, then President of the RS, at the end of February and during March this year, following the adoption of unconstitutional laws banning SIPA's operations in the RS territory, for personnel from the Serb ranks to leave four state institutions, only a handful of employees left SIPA, moving to the RS Ministry of Interior. In December, there were 313 Serbs, and now there are 301. Director Darko Ćulum had also left SIPA, but after four months he changed his mind and returned to the helm of SIPA.

A criminal complaint was filed against him with the BiH Prosecutor's Office for several criminal offenses, and the BiH Prosecutor's Office has opened a case. However, to date, Ćulum has not been questioned as a suspect, and the BiH Council of Ministers, due to political obstructions by ministers from SNSD, does not appoint new SIPA leadership, nor can it possibly make a decision to repeat the competition for the SIPA director.

It is superfluous to write about the (in)activity of the Independent Board of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly, but the entire case with Ćulum, and earlier with Galić, has shown all the loopholes in the law, so amending the Law on SIPA should be a priority for the current authorities to ensure lawful management of this state agency in cases where leaders refuse to obey the state.

(A. Vrabac)