Independent Committee of the FBiH Parliament Schedules Interviews with Marić and Šahinpašić: Will the FUP Finally Get New Leadership?

(Patria) - On Wednesday, 11 February, Igor Marić and Vahidin Šahinpašić, the only candidates for director and deputy director, respectively, of the Federal Police Administration, are expected to appear before members of the Independent Committee of the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Although an application for the director position was also submitted by Bara Pršlja, chief of the Jajce Police Station, according to the Pension and Disability Insurance records, he has 39 years of work experience and is nearing retirement, so his application was not accepted.

Interviews will be conducted with Marić and Šahinpašić, after which the Independent Committee will submit a ranked list for the director and deputy director positions to the Ministry of Interior of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, provided the candidates satisfy the interview requirements.

The Ministry is the body that formally proposes the appointments for these two positions to the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Marić is a police officer with the Police Administration of the Ministry of Interior of the West Herzegovina Canton, while Vahidin Šahinpašić is a long-serving SIPA inspector who has also held the position of head of the Criminal Investigation and Analysis Department and the War Crimes Department.

The situation in the Federal Police Administration is under scrutiny by the Special Department for Organized Crime, Economic Crime and Corruption, both due to the "Spengavanje" affair (Vahidin Munjić and others) and due to the recent promotions and appointments of acting director Aldin Sinanović.

Since the retirement of Dragan Lukač in early 2019, the Federal Police Administration has been without a director. Following the appointment of Ensad Korman as deputy director of the Border Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the position of deputy director has been vacant. By a decision of the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Munjić led the FUP for more than two years, and after the discovery of correspondence with Federal Prime Minister Nermin Nikšić, his chief of staff, the director of the Police Academy in Vraca, and FUP police officer Muhamed Ohranović, restrictive measures were imposed on all of them in November, except for Nikšić, who claims he is a witness in the case.

Due to his retirement, no disciplinary proceedings were initiated against Munjić.