BiH Prosecutor's Office Wants Rule of Law: How Then Did Actors of Major Scandals Go Unpunished?

Following a series of criticisms regarding the (in)action of the BiH Prosecutor's Office and the failure to fulfill what she promised when appointed as acting Chief Prosecutor, Gordana Tadić held a collegium with all prosecutors from all three departments of the BiH Prosecutor's Office. Tadić discussed with prosecutors from the Special Department for War Crimes, the Special Department for Organized Crime, Economic Crime and Corruption, and Department III, reports the Patria agency.

This Collegium also followed the alleged "eavesdropping scandal" when Tadić, along with Ružica Jukić, Vice-President of the HJPC, claimed they were being eavesdropped on and that the transcripts were authentic. These serious accusations were directed at SIPA, and when this agency denied any involvement in the eavesdropping of Tadić and Jukić, the BiH Prosecutor's Office did not comment further. Such accusations against the State Investigation and Protection Agency were made lightly. There is no accountability for them in this case. There is only silence from these two institutions (BiH Prosecutor's Office and HJPC) regarding the evident erosion of the judicial system, with Tadić and Jukić as the main actors.

The BiH Prosecutor's Office announced today that out of 237 employees, 59 are prosecutors who "in cooperation with partner police and security agencies in BiH and abroad, are working intensively to strengthen the rule of law in Bosnia and Herzegovina."

Is it the rule of law that the actors of the unconstitutional referendum, the Pandora case, Bobar banka went without any sanctions?

In the coming period, according to the Prosecutor's Office, the focus will be on the fight against terrorism, organized crime, corruption, as well as the prosecution of war crimes cases.

As it always does when facing criticism, the BiH Prosecutor's Office responds with statistics. Thus, it was announced that in the past 15 years, indictments have been filed against more than 5,000 individuals, accused of the most complex criminal offenses, organized crime, war crimes, economic and financial crime, terrorism, and other criminal offenses within the jurisdiction of the BiH Prosecutor's Office.

However, the BiH Prosecutor's Office did not provide statistical data on how many indictments were confirmed, what the outcomes were, and how many resulted in convictions versus acquittals. How much illegally acquired property and money was confiscated, how many years in prison were imposed...

It should not be forgotten that the BiH Prosecutor's Office has been shaken by scandals involving chief prosecutors in recent years, complaints against prosecutors, and the rejection of indictments, so perhaps the entire affair surrounding the alleged eavesdropping was a well-thought-out plan to divert attention from the crucial issues that this state institution should be answering to the public.