TI BiH: Drastic increase in corruption reports in state administration!

(Patria) - In the first six months of this year, 194 corruption-related cases were initiated, of which 87 relate to irregularities in state administration, according to data from the semi-annual report of the Center for Free Legal Aid in the Fight Against Corruption Transparency International in BiH for 2024.

The number of cases related to state administration is increasing by 26% compared to the same period last year (69), which only confirms the findings of other research conducted by TI BiH, which indicate that citizens most often encounter corruption precisely in public administration.

Citizens contact the Center, pointing out irregularities in public administration at all levels in BiH. The most frequently reported irregularities concerned employment and appointments in public bodies, favoritism and illegalities in the distribution of public funds, works on the construction and maintenance of local infrastructure, access to health services, as well as discrimination and violations of labor rights, etc.

Overall, citizens made 1227 calls to the Center's free corruption reporting line 0800 55555 in the first half of this year, which is double the number of calls compared to the first half of 2023.

Besides administration, education (18), the private sector (17), and the judiciary (17) are the areas with the highest number of cases. In the healthcare sector, there has been a deterioration, with 14 cases initiated this year compared to 8 last year.

The largest number of cases, as many as 100, were initiated based on reports from witnesses of corruption, and this number is higher than last year when 71 cases related to witness reports. Similarly, the number of cases based on reports from victims of corruption is increasing, with 70 cases this year compared to 56 in the same period last year.

What is certainly concerning is the decrease in the number of cases reported by so-called "whistleblowers", i.e., individuals reporting corruption from their work environment. This year, only 7 such cases were initiated, compared to 29 in the first half of 2023.

One of the reasons for this decrease could certainly be insufficient protection, resulting from the absence of relevant laws, as is the case in the Federation of BiH, or the creation of an atmosphere of public condemnation, intimidation, and even open threats from top political officials directed at individuals reporting corruption.

In the same period, 9 administrative disputes were initiated against public bodies for failing to provide information of public importance, and the competent courts issued 9 judgments, 8 of which were in favor of Transparency International BiH.

In addition to the area of freedom of access to information, the TI BiH Center also acted in the field of human rights protection. The Institution of the Ombudsman for Human Rights of BiH issued 2 recommendations based on TI BiH's submissions, including the confirmation that railways in both entities discriminated against individuals without a professional exam when hiring.

TI BiH continued to act to combat conflicts of interest. Following a TI BiH report, the BiH Commission for Deciding on Conflicts of Interest determined that the Director of the Communications Regulatory Agency of BiH, Draško Milinović, was simultaneously heading the Tennis Federation of RS, which received significant funds from the budget for the construction of tennis courts in Banja Luka. For this, he was penalized with a 10% salary suspension for the next 6 months.

In a similar manner, TI BiH protected public interest in the area of natural resource protection. The Federal Prosecutor's Office of the Federation of BiH overturned the decision of the Cantonal Prosecutor's Office of Central Bosnia Canton and ordered an investigation against responsible persons for non-payment of concession fees exceeding 1.7 million KM.