Decision on Galić's dismissal not published in the Official Gazette of BiH, competition for SIPA deputy director on hold

By Amra Vrabac

The decision on the dismissal of Zoran Galić from the position of Deputy Director of the Border Police of BiH has not yet been published in the Official Gazette of BiH, although he was dismissed at the session of the Council of Ministers of BiH on October 23.

From then until today, six issues of the Official Gazette of BiH have been published, but none of them contain the decision regarding Galić.

Until the decision is published, the Independent Board of the BiH Parliament will not be able to make a decision on announcing a competition for the Deputy Director of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA). This position has been vacant since July 8, when Galić evaded arrest by fleeing to Croatia. The BiH Prosecutor's Office suspects him of abuse of office and receiving gifts while he was the Director of the Border Police of BiH.

After a months-long ordeal, the Council of Ministers of BiH dismissed Galić on October 23, at his own request, as this was the only legally possible solution.

The Independent Board did not initiate disciplinary proceedings against Galić, and there was clearly no willingness to resolve it differently, so the Council of Ministers of BiH was left with only dismissal at his own request to avoid a potential lawsuit. There was no mention of other benefits or the right to severance pay at that session, confirmed the Chairperson Borjana Krišto at last week's session of the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliament, responding to delegates' questions.

In addition to this vacant position of deputy director, for which well-known candidates close to the HDZ from security structures are interested, the position of SIPA director has also not yet been filled.

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AFTER THE DISMISSAL OF FUGITIVE GALIĆ, WILL ĐURO KNEŽEVIĆ RETURN TO SIPA AS DEPUTY DIRECTOR?

By Amra VrabacAfter fugitive Zoran Galić was finally dismissed from the position of SIPA Deputy Director at the session of the Council of Ministers of BiH on October 23, the announcement of a competition for this vacant position is expected soon. Session of the Independent Board

The mandate of Director Darko Ćulum expired in July, and the Independent Board conducted the procedure for electing a new director and on September 9 established a ranking list which was sent to the Minister of Security of BiH, Nenad Nešić. The top-ranked candidate is Ćulum, the second-ranked is the head of SIPA's Financial Intelligence Department, Ljubiša Pandurević, while the third on the list of successful candidates for the position of SIPA Director is the head of the Doboj Police Administration of the MUP RS, Slobodan Radinković.

Although it is the minister's discretionary right to choose a candidate from the list, he decided on the third-ranked Radinković. Nešić stated that this proposal was agreed upon "within the Serb corps and with Milorad Dodik".
Before the session of the Council of Ministers of BiH, in mid-September, information emerged from security agencies that Radinković's name was mentioned in a conversation between two members of the criminal milieu in June of this year, precisely as an announcement that he was going to a position in SIPA and that "they will have him higher up", while they would place their man in Doboj to watch over them. Responding to journalists' questions about that recording and his connection to those individuals, Radinković stated that his candidacy is still active.

"In the past, many MUP members have been linked to that Sky application or whatever it is. The MUP has not commented. I am the head of the Doboj Police Administration, which should be enough for anyone smart. That's my comment," said Radinković.

However, the parties of the 'Trojka' (Three) and the ministers in the Council of Ministers of BiH were not prepared to support Nešić's proposal, so that item has never been included on the agenda.

There is no obstacle for Ćulum to continue performing the duties of director until a new director is appointed, which is also permitted by law.