Is a dismissal of Darko Ćulum being initiated?

The State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) operates exclusively on professional grounds, not representing, protecting, or undermining the interests of any political party, registered organization, or association, or any constituent or other nation in BiH. This is stated in Article 2 of the Law on the State Investigation and Protection Agency.

The Director of SIPA, Darko Ćulum, who was appointed in July 2020 for a four-year term, came to this position from the post of Director of the Police of RS. Although he is a long-serving police officer who knows the laws and what is forbidden for police officers well, Ćulum violated the Law on SIPA yesterday by attending a gathering of Serbs employed in BiH institutions at the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH, Staša Košarac.

Ćulum, therefore, contrary to the definition of SIPA, protected the interests of SNSD and undermined the interests of the state. With his presence, he confirmed the expressed readiness of those present to leave BiH institutions if asked to do so. Ćulum was not obliged to respond to Staša Košarac's invitation, but he clearly did so as a follower of SNSD policy.

On August 22, Ćulum also welcomed some participants of the state coalition meeting in front of the Administrative Center of the RS Government in Istočno Sarajevo, and he also spoke with Dragan Čović, the president of HDZ BiH, which was recorded by photojournalists.

More than 700 employees work in SIPA. More than half are Bosniaks, and their director attends a gathering where Serb policies are made, and ultimately, if asked by RS structures, they will undermine the state of BiH. Given that he violated the Law on SIPA and damaged the reputation of this state police agency, and further shook the trust of Bosniaks regarding professional conduct, the Independent Oversight Board of the BiH Parliament should consider initiating the dismissal of Darko Ćulum.

The Independent Oversight Board will hold its next session in October. Given that it is a body consisting of nine members, and some are from RS, it is clear that it will be shown who was politically appointed to the Board.

Although obstructions in initiating Ćulum's dismissal from the head of SIPA are expected, the members of the Independent Oversight Board are obliged to protect the dignity of state police agencies.

It is also expected that ministers from the Bosniak constituent people in the Council of Ministers of BiH will request the dismissal of Darko Ćulum, as well as other members of the Council of Ministers of BiH who were at yesterday's gathering.