Tomislav Ljubić Requests VSTV to Exclude Ružica Jukić from the Selection of Chief Prosecutors in FBiH

TUZLA; SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The Chief Prosecutor of the Tuzla Canton Prosecutor's Office and candidate for the election of the new chief prosecutor of this prosecutor's office, Tomislav Ljubić, submitted on May 16 a request to the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (VSTV) of BiH for the exclusion of VSTV Vice-President Ružica Jukić from the procedure for electing the chief prosecutor due to her statements regarding a recent meeting at the US Embassy in Sarajevo, which Ljubić also attended. He also sent a letter on May 20 to VSTV members led by President Milan Tegeltija, requesting that Jukić be excluded from the process of electing prosecutors and all chief prosecutors in FBiH.

In his letter to the VSTV, Ljubić states that after the postponement of the procedure for electing the chief prosecutor, he was taken aback by the content of the views expressed by VSTV BiH Vice-President Ružica Jukić.

"Considering the content and gravity of the accusations that this VSTV BiH official made before the media, which accusations, among others, refer to me personally, as well as those related to my candidacy for the position of Chief Prosecutor of the Tuzla Canton Prosecutor's Office, I personally recognize this as a reason for my reaction. The aforementioned views were presented by this official before representatives of several media outlets, immediately after the President of VSTV BiH informed us, those invited who came today from Bihać, three colleagues, Orašje, one colleague, Tuzla, two colleagues, and three colleagues from Sarajevo, that we had come to Sarajevo 'in vain,' because the VSTV BiH session had not been prepared at all in accordance with your rules of procedure, which then prevented some council members from fully participating in the session's work, specifically in the part related to our presentation of work programs, only for the President to further inform us that an extraordinary session of VSTV BiH would be rescheduled, on the same topic, at the end of May."

Ljubić states that none of the VSTV BiH members at this session sought to establish responsibility for those who caused these omissions. He notes that some candidates were "publicly declared third-rate officials."

"Considering the content of the heavily accusatory allegations of Vice-President Jukić, which, among others, refer to me as a candidate for the aforementioned election, and in order to be able to comment on the necessity of my attendance at the next extraordinary session of VSTV BiH, I REQUEST from each of you, individual members of VSTV BiH, a written statement on the following: Whether the allegations made by your member and Vice-President represent the official institutional stance of VSTV BiH or not, and if they do not, then further, also from each of you, I REQUEST that you individually state whether you share all or only some of the expressed value judgments about me as a candidate, her other expressed views and opinions, as well as the qualifications she gave about all the exemplary colleagues; whether each of you, VSTV BiH members, or some of you, presumptively assess me, as a candidate for the position of Chief Cantonal Prosecutor of Tuzla Canton, as a third-rate clerk," Ljubić asked.

He added that if VSTV members do not respond to his request, he will consider that they agree with all the allegations and qualifications made by Vice-President Jukić about him and others.

Ljubić highlighted the fact that Ružica Jukić is a close friend of another candidate for the election of Chief Prosecutor of the Tuzla Canton Prosecutor's Office, with whom she apparently shares the same values, as evident from their overall contacts during and outside working hours, on workdays and non-workdays, etc.

He requested that VSTV BiH, before holding the next extraordinary session where the programs of cantonal prosecutor's offices from the Una-Sana Canton, Posavina Canton, Tuzla, and Sarajevo Cantons will be presented, adopt the following decisions:
- That this request be accepted, and that member and Vice-President of VSTV BiH Ružica Jukić be EXCLUDED from further procedure and decision-making regarding the election of the Chief Prosecutor of the Tuzla Canton Prosecutor's Office, because the previously presented circumstances are of such significance that they objectively raise reasonable doubt about her impartiality and credibility.

- That, ex officio, you initiate proceedings for the EXCLUSION of member and Vice-President of VSTV BiH Ružica Jukić, and that she also be EXCLUDED from further procedure and decision-making regarding the election of all prosecutors and chief prosecutors in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, due to the previously accepted circumstances that are of such significance that they objectively raise reasonable doubt about her impartiality and credibility for all of them, because it is evident that the same person considers all these colleagues as third-rate clerks.

Ljubić also provided the media, in addition to the letters he sent to the VSTV, an email that Jukić sent to certain VSTV members in October last year, where she stated that she would recuse herself when it comes to the election of the chief prosecutor of the TK Prosecutor's Office.