Who remains in the running for FUP Director?

SARAJEVO, (Patria) – On Thursday, March 14, the continuation of the interrupted 10th session of the Independent Board of the Parliament of FBiH (NO PFBiH) will be held to continue the procedure for electing the director of the Federal Police Administration (FUP), which has been vacant since Dragan Lukač resigned after officially retiring. Investigations are being conducted by investigative bodies.

At the continuation of the session, the Independent Board will review the additionally requested documentation for all eight candidates, after which it will be known whether all candidates remain in the race for FUP director. Criminal records, as well as pension records on years of service, have been requested from the competent police stations.  

The president of the Independent Board, Sead Bardak, told Patria that after reviewing the documentation and confirming everything is in order, candidates will be asked to submit their work programs for the FUP during their term, for which they will have eight days. Interviews will be scheduled for all candidates on the same day, after which the Independent Board will compile a ranking list to be forwarded to the Minister of Internal Affairs of FBiH.

Eight candidates have applied for the position of director of the Federal Police Administration: Zoran Čegar, head of the Uniformed Police Sector of the Federal Police Administration, Ivica Bošnjak, deputy director of the Directorate for Police Coordination, Ensad Korman, FUP official, Zoran Galić, director of the BiH Border Police, Mustafa Hujdurović, FUP inspector, Milan Galić, current police commissioner of West Herzegovina Canton, Ljuban Frljić, head of the Operational Center of the MUP SBK Travnik, and Robert Perić, head of the South Čapljina Field Office of the BiH Border Police.

Given that the current Minister of Internal Affairs is a Bosniak, the Law on Internal Affairs of FBiH stipulates that the director cannot be of the same nationality, which means only candidates from the Croatian ethnic group remain in the running. The Patria Agency previously reported that this could be Robert Perić, the brother-in-law of Čović's sister-in-law. Perić has previously been linked to an affair concerning the recruitment of VII and VIII class cadets into the BiH Border Police. 

If a Croat is elected as the director of the Federal Police Administration, it means that the future Minister of Internal Affairs of FBiH cannot be a Croat.