Decision of the ZDK Government: All officeholders will have to declare their assets and prove their origin

(Patria) - The Government of the Zenica-Doboj Canton at today's 128th session, chaired by Prime Minister Nezir Pivić, adopted the Draft Law on Declaration and Verification of Data on Assets of Public Officeholders, as well as the Draft Law on Prevention and Suppression of Corruption in the ZDK.

ZDK Prime Minister Nezir Pivić emphasized that this is one of the strategic priorities of the current Government and an important step in strengthening transparency and citizens' trust in government institutions.

- In the exposé during the Government's appointment, we highlighted the fight against corruption as one of the priorities of our work. I am pleased that today we are witnessing the realization of another goal that this Government has set for itself. After we completed the Office for the Fight Against Corruption and created all conditions for the application of this law, today we adopted the draft law which should be presented to the deputies at the next session of the ZDK Assembly – said Prime Minister Pivić.

He explained that the law implies the obligation to declare assets of legislative and executive officeholders, as well as their immediate families, at the beginning, during, and upon completion of their mandate.

- The goal of the law is the prevention of corruption and the prevention of unjustified enrichment of public officeholders. The Office for the Fight Against Corruption will have the ability to monitor changes in assets and analyze income, and penalty provisions are foreseen for non-declaration or concealment of data – said Pivić.

He added that the Government also adopted the Draft Law on Prevention and Suppression of Corruption, which will extend the obligations in the area of transparency and employee registers to cities and municipalities in the ZDK.

- We consider this the greatest step forward by the ZDK Government in the fight against corruption. Citizens will have the opportunity to view registers of employees and appointed persons, which represents an additional step towards strengthening trust in government institutions – stated Prime Minister Pivić.

Minister of Justice and Administration of ZDK Nebojša Nikolić said that they have institutionalized and fulfilled all obligations undertaken regarding the establishment of the Office for the Fight Against Corruption as a separate administrative body. He added that he is particularly pleased by the fact that they prepared this legal solution with their own capacities and domestic expert forces.

He emphasized that the law precisely defines the obligation to declare existing assets, income, origin, and changes in assets, as well as gifts that public officeholders receive during their term of office.

- Public officeholders are considered to be deputies, councilors, the prime minister, ministers, mayors, chiefs, directors, executive directors, heads of public institutions and enterprises, as well as public attorneys and their deputies – stated Nebojša Nikolić.

Secretary of the ZDK Office for the Fight Against Corruption Dževad Fejzić pointed out that by adopting these laws, international obligations have been met and significant harmonization with European Union standards has been carried out.

- By adopting these laws, we have fully adapted the legal system to the legal acquis of the European Union and fulfilled the international obligations expected of the Zenica-Doboj Canton. It is particularly significant that local self-government units will also be included in the systemic fight against corruption through registers of employees and appointed persons – said Fejzić.

Fejzić added that the Office is technically ready to implement the process of declaring and verifying assets, and that significant funds have been invested in the development of the necessary infrastructure in the previous period.

- All activities are aligned with the Law on Personal Data Protection of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the OSCE Mission to BiH provided continuous support in the process – concluded Dževad Fejzić.