Turnaround at the State Investigation and Protection Agency: Darko Ćulum Wants to Return to Head SIPA!

Darko Ćulum intends to return to head the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA), Istraga.ba has learned. Ćulum has announced to the current SIPA leadership, which is operating under his authorization, that he will come to SIPA headquarters in Istočno Sarajevo this week to arrange for him to formally resume his duties as director. According to NAP, he also visited SIPA last week, but the reasons for his visit are unknown.

Ćulum sees the fact that the Council of Ministers of BiH did not accept, nor even consider, his resignation submitted on March 18th as a basis for his return to SIPA. Although not formally dismissed, Ćulum rarely appeared at the State Investigation and Protection Agency building. He mostly spent his working hours at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska, where he performed advisory duties. However, Ćulum did not establish an employment relationship with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska either, as his employment record is still with SIPA's HR department. When he realized he was "neither here nor there," Darko Ćulum began preparing for his return to the director position at SIPA. According to our information, he has also received the consent of Milorad Dodik and his associates, who have assessed that Ćulum can be useful to them at SIPA. Furthermore, Ćulum cannot be formally dismissed until the ministers from SNSD in the Council of Ministers of BiH vote for his dismissal.

"There are some thoughts about returning," Ćulum told Istraga.ba on Wednesday morning.

He admitted that his employment status has not been resolved.

We remind you that Darko Ćulum submitted his resignation on March 18th of this year, following pressure from Republika Srpska leaders, i.e., after an arrest warrant was issued for Milorad Dodik. Prior to that, the RS authorities adopted laws prohibiting SIPA's operations in the territory of Republika Srpska. SIPA subsequently carried out a series of smaller operations in RS, but no operations were conducted in the period before Ćulum's resignation. SIPA does not intend to carry out the main operation, the arrest of Milorad Dodik, stating that it would be too risky.

After submitting his resignation, Ćulum signed a decision transferring his authority to members of his cabinet.

"Novak Mijović, advisor to the director for operational work, and Vahidin Šahinpašić, advisor to the director for cooperation, logistics, and training, are authorized to sign acts within the jurisdiction of the State Investigation and Protection Agency in case of absence or inability of the Agency Director and the Assistant Director – Head of the Sector for Planning, Analytics, Cooperation, and Information (Ernad Musić)," Ćulum wrote.

In the meantime, Vahidin Šahinpašić was transferred from the director's cabinet to head the War Crimes Department, while Mijović and Musić continued to lead the Agency.

A session of the Council of Ministers of BiH, where the resignation of SIPA Director Darko Ćulum was to be considered, was scheduled for March 20th. However, the session was not held because the ministers did not adopt the agenda. The SNSD ministers, namely, requested that only one item be on the agenda – the acceptance of Darko Ćulum's resignation. Ministers from the Bosniak people requested that the appointment of the so-called acting director of SIPA also be included in the agenda. As consensus was not reached on the agenda, the session was canceled.

Ministers from RS in the Council of Ministers of BiH intended only to accept Darko Ćulum's resignation, which would have effectively left SIPA completely headless. Ćulum had transferred his authority to lead SIPA to members of his cabinet, but if he were dismissed, those authorities would effectively cease to be valid. Therefore, the individuals to whom he transferred authority would no longer have the authority to lead SIPA. For this reason, ministers from the Bosniak people, led by Minister of Defense Zukan Helez, requested that a vote for the appointment of a new acting director of SIPA also take place simultaneously. SNSD ministers refused this, and the agenda was not adopted.