Our Party demands that the OSCE appoint an Interim Administration of the HJPC

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Following the recent events related to the work of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of BiH, Our Party demands that the entire current composition of the HJPC, led by its president Milan Tegeltija, immediately resign from membership.

They also demand that the OSCE, within its authority, appoint an Interim Administration of the HJPC, and that all domestic and international organizations or bodies, within their authority, take measures to stop the further undermining of the judiciary and to remedy the deficiencies regarding the appointments carried out by the current composition of the HJPC.

"The behavior of the HJPC leader, as well as the support given to him by other HJPC members, has damaged public trust in the judiciary, undermined its credibility, as well as the profession of judge and prosecutor.
No one can be amnestied. The HJPC members did not use any opportunity to distance themselves from the actions and behavior of their president, and that was their obligation given the Code of Judicial Ethics.
The recording published on the portal 'Žurnal' clearly documents that the President of the Council, in a catering facility, engages in conversation with a person seeking his intervention in the processing of a criminal investigation. Such behavior is contrary to the principle of judicial independence, within the meaning of Art. 1, para. 1.5 of the Code of Judicial Ethics, according to which a judge must promote high standards of judicial conduct in order to strengthen public trust in the judiciary," state from Our Party.

Furthermore, the Council members, as well as President Tegeltija, are aware that they have no legal authority to deal with individual cases in court or prosecutorial proceedings.

"The jurisdiction of the HJPC regarding the work of courts and prosecutor's offices is determined only to the level of collecting and analyzing reports from courts and prosecutor's offices in order to provide statistical data on the efficiency of the work of courts and prosecutor's offices. This is prescribed by Art. 17, para. 17 of the Law on the HJPC, which was violated by the mentioned example. The HJPC members, led by their president, are unaware of the responsibility they bear and must be replaced so that, after their actions, we can begin to rebuild a politically independent, professional, and reputable judiciary that the citizens of BiH trust," the statement from Our Party said.