It is important that police agencies maintain continuity of functioning

We believe it is important that police and security agencies maintain continuity of functioning, and that they carry out appointment procedures in a transparent manner and in accordance with the law, it was stated to the Bosnian news agency Patria (NAP) from the Public Affairs Office of the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo, regarding the expiration of the mandates of the directors of the Border Police of BiH and the Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies.

The directors Vinko Dumančić and Himzo Selimović, as well as their deputies, had their mandates in these positions expire on March 9, and new leaders have not been appointed.

- The U.S. Embassy has a long-standing, positive cooperation with police and security agencies at all levels in BiH, through our Regional Security Office at the Embassy and through the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP program). We act to support the development of professional and transparent law enforcement institutions that protect human rights, fight corruption, and reduce the threat posed by transnational crime and terrorism – state from the U.S. Embassy.

Yesterday, the Ministry of Justice of BiH stated that, in their opinion, Dumančić and Selimović can and should continue working even though their mandate has expired by law, until the Council of Ministers of BiH makes a decision on their dismissal.

The Office of the High Representative in BiH (OHR) also told NAP that they agree with this opinion.

However, legal experts familiar with this case point out to the Patria agency that such a stance could cause legal uncertainty.

- What is the point of limiting mandates in the law, if they remain directors until they are dismissed. By force of law, neither Dumančić nor Selimović should be performing such important positions anymore, because there is no legal basis for it. Their mandate has ended and that is what the law states. They no longer have a basis for their authorities and decisions, which anyone can challenge in any court – says our source.

The question also arises, where does Dumančić, who is effectively a pensioner, and Selimović get the right to access secret databases, when their mandate has expired.

However, it did not have to be this way. It has been known for a long time when the mandates of police chiefs expire, and the Council of Ministers of BiH should have reacted earlier. We remind you, in the case of the director of the Intelligence-Security Agency, the Council of Ministers reacted quite justifiably and resolved the dilemma three months before the mandate expired.

The expiration of the mandate is not an excuse for the Independent Board, given that the procedure in that case should have been carried out on time, and prevented the current situation in which it is not certain that BiH has two key police agencies functioning at full capacity.

What the current situation in the security system of BiH is like, is perhaps best illustrated by the statement given by Selimović in last night's show "Pošteno" on FTV, saying that no one in BiH was able to gather all directors of police agencies in one place, until the U.S. Embassy did so a few days ago.