Cantonal Prosecutor's Office: We are conducting checks based on reports regarding events in the Cantonal Assembly

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Given the current events related to the functioning of the Sarajevo Canton Assembly and the announced warning strikes by budget users due to the failure to adopt a decision on temporary financing, the Office of the Chief Cantonal Prosecutor informs the public that the Prosecutor's Office has received and continues to receive on a daily basis since the beginning of this year reports, supplements to reports, and appeals for urgent action, in which participants in the events report each other and request the Prosecutor's Office to resolve the “legal chaos” they mention in the reports.

In this regard, the Cantonal Prosecutor's Office has, in accordance with regular procedure, formed cases in which the allegations are being verified regarding:

-       the seizure of the seal of the Sarajevo Canton Assembly from the Secretary of the Assembly and violation of the Assembly's Rules of Procedure;

 -      violations of the provisions of the Law on the Publication of Regulations and Other General Acts and Decisions in the “Official Gazette of Sarajevo Canton”;

 -      allegations that one of the reported individuals, in public activity, undertakes actions presenting themselves as the Chairperson of the Sarajevo Canton Assembly;

-       allegations that one of the reported individuals violated the procedure related to convening an emergency session of the Sarajevo Canton Assembly for December 28, 2019.
 
The Prosecutor's Office is urgently taking actions on all reports to verify the allegations, and at this stage, the Prosecutor's Office is focused on collecting documentation and taking statements.
The Prosecutor's Office will, in accordance with its competencies, after verifying the allegations from the reports, determine whether the actions of the reported individuals possibly constitute elements of criminal offenses and will inform the public of its decision.

Taking into account the duty of the Prosecutor's Office to remain an independent and impartial body in every situation, including this one, we note that the work of the Prosecutor's Office within its competence regarding the subject reports does not in any way prevent the deputies or the Sarajevo Canton Assembly from acting within their competencies in the interest of the citizens of Sarajevo Canton and considering additional legal mechanisms for resolving the current situation.