Anti-Corruption Commission requests clarification from SIPA on approval for Nešić's appointment

(Patria) - At the 11th session of the Anti-Corruption Commission of the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliament (PSBiH), a Conclusion was considered, by which the House of Representatives at its 24th session tasked the Anti-Corruption Commission to monitor the procurement process for office space for the Indirect Taxation Authority in Banja Luka and regularly report to the PSBiH on activities undertaken.

In this regard, the Commission today adopted a conclusion requesting the Council of Ministers of BiH, the Ministry of Finance and Treasury of BiH, the Indirect Taxation Authority of BiH, and the Office of the Auditor General of BiH Institutions to provide the Commission with information on all actions, decisions, and activities that have been carried out or acted upon in connection with the planning, approval, and implementation of the multi-year project for the procurement and construction of facilities for the Banja Luka Regional Center and the Main Office of the Indirect Taxation Authority of BiH in Banja Luka.

The deadline for submitting this information to the Office of the Auditor General of BiH Institutions is 10 days, and for the Council of Ministers of BiH, the Ministry of Finance and Treasury of BiH, and the Indirect Taxation Authority of BiH is 15 days from the adoption of this conclusion.

The Commission also decided that, after obtaining this information, representatives of all the aforementioned institutions will be invited for a public hearing within a period not exceeding 45 days.

The Commission adopted the Draft Law on Amendments to the Law on Metrology, the content of which will be presented to relevant institutions and representatives of the media community.

It was concluded that the Proposal for the Law on Amendments to the Law on Metrology will be adopted at the next session of the Commission and sent for parliamentary procedure.

Regarding the detention and imprisonment of the Minister of Security of BiH, Nenad Nešić, the Anti-Corruption Commission of the House of Representatives of the PSBiH requested the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) to provide information on how and in what manner approval was given in 2023 for Nešić's appointment as Minister of Security of BiH, given that, as announced by the BiH Prosecutor's Office, investigations in this case have been ongoing since 2019.

The Commission decided to hold a public hearing with the Minister of Communications and Transport of BiH, Edin Forto, regarding the issue of the Southern Interconnection project.

It was also decided that the Chairperson of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives of the PSBiH be informed that the members of the Anti-Corruption Commission of the House of Representatives of the PSBiH wish to participate in the upcoming public hearing of the Chairperson of the Council of Ministers of BiH, Borjana Krišto, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of BiH, Elmedin Konaković, regarding the cancellation of the Western Balkans Leaders Summit, which was supposed to be held in Neum on December 5, 2024.

The Commission acknowledged the request for submission and monitoring of cases of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) of BiH T13 0 KTA 0053399 20 and T13 0 KT 0056418, and case 71 P 323759 23 P2, and decided to seek an opinion from the HJPC of BiH regarding this request.

A request for inclusion in criminal proceedings, file number: 01/8-50-17-2566/24 dated 18. 12. 2024, was also acknowledged.

A letter regarding corruption in the electoral process in BiH and its entities, file number: 01/8-50-17-2280/24 dated 15. 11. 2024, was also acknowledged. Regarding this letter, the Commission will seek an opinion from the Central Election Commission of BiH.