SDA: False dilemma about the appellate court's location will not hide authorities' intentions to conceal fundamental problems of the BiH Courts Law

(Patria) - By imposing a false dilemma about the appellate court's location, the ruling coalition will not succeed in hiding the fundamental problems of the Law on Courts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the adoption of which is one of the obligations for the European Council to decide on opening negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Party of Democratic Action announced.

The SDA reminds that the European Commission, in its Opinion on Bosnia and Herzegovina's application for EU membership, clearly requested the establishment of a judicial body that would ensure consistent interpretation of law throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina. This, the SDA states, means establishing a supreme court of BiH that would be a fourth judicial instance, not just establishing a separate appellate department of the Court of BiH.

- The intention of the ruling coalition to reduce the jurisdiction of the Court of BiH through the Law on Courts, by limiting the criminal jurisdiction of that institution only to offenses committed in both Bosnian-Herzegovinian entities, while criminal offenses committed in only one entity would not be under the jurisdiction of the Court of BiH, is particularly unacceptable.

The Law on Courts of BiH should provide for the establishment of a supreme court of BiH to be located in Sarajevo, which is an obligation of Bosnia and Herzegovina on its European path, and no partial solutions and reductions of the existing jurisdiction of the Court of BiH, hidden behind a false dilemma about the location of the newly established judicial instance, are acceptable and will not pass as the ruling coalition intended", the SDA's press release states.