Next week, the Independent Board of the BiH Parliament sits: SIPA Director Darko Ćulum must explain why he attended a political gathering

The Independent Board of the BiH Parliament will hold a session on October 24, and in addition to the established agenda, within the framework of current issues, Board members will raise the question of SIPA Director Darko Ćulum's participation in a political gathering in East Sarajevo in mid-September.

Serbs from the RS close to the SNSD, who work in BiH institutions, gathered at the invitation of Staša Košarac, an SNSD official and Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations in the Council of Ministers of BiH.

Civil servants and employees of various institutions also responded to the call, but Ćulum's presence is controversial for several reasons. According to the Law on SIPA, this agency operates on a professional basis and does not represent, protect, or undermine the interests of any political party, registered organization or association, nor any constituent or other people in BiH. This is also stated in the GRECO report published in March this year.

Although it was expected that the issue of Ćulum's dismissal would be raised, due to the balance of power in the Independent Board of the BiH Parliament, because members from the RS are (in)dependent of the politics that proposed them, there would not be enough votes for a possible dismissal.

However, this does not prevent other Board members from demanding that Ćulum explain why he was at a gathering that was clearly directed against the state of BiH, at which readiness was expressed to leave BiH institutions when the RS authorities and the President of the RS, who is on trial before the Court of BiH, demand it from them.

What is additionally controversial is that Ćulum initiated investigative actions regarding the status of High Representative Christian Schmidt, all at the order of the RS authorities and even the BiH Security Minister Nenad Nešić, who by law has no operational authority over the work of police agencies. This is a precedent not previously recorded in the actions of police agencies to check and investigate accredited diplomats in BiH.

If Ćulum has ambitions to engage in politics, then he should leave the position of SIPA director, because he has lost all credibility by yielding to political orders from the RS.

(A.V.)