Council of Ministers of BiH today on the situation in SIPA

(Patria) - The 50th extraordinary session of the Council of Ministers of BiH has been scheduled for today in Sarajevo, starting at 12:00 PM.

The agenda includes only one item - Information on the situation in the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) with a proposal for measures to resolve it, proposed by the Ministry of Security of BiH.

The Ministry of Security of BiH issued a statement yesterday after the then director of SIPA, Darko Ćulum, requested to be relieved of his duties.

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Darko Ćulum resigned as SIPA Director

(Patria) - Darko Ćulum has resigned as Director of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA), confirmed for the portal Istraga.ba by the Independent Police Oversight Board. Darko Ćulum resigned as SIPA Director, confirmed for

"SIPA's operations have not been disrupted, and the Agency continues to operate in accordance with legal procedures and competencies. The Ministry of Security of BiH, together with the Council of Ministers of BiH, is working intensively to resolve the newly created situation and appoint new leadership for SIPA," the Ministry of Security of BiH announced.

Let us remind you, the appointment of the SIPA director has been pending since September last year. The list of three names includes Darko Ćulum, Slobodan Radinković, and Ljubiša Pandurević.

The then Minister of Security of BiH, Nenad Nešić, wanted to propose Radinković to the Council of Ministers, but he is linked to certain criminal structures, and the parties of the Trojka and HDZ BiH at the time stated that they would not support him. However, Nešić did not give up on his proposal, so this appointment was never even considered.

If the Deputy Minister Ivica Bošnjak initiates the appointment now, he is left with the name Ljubiša Pandurević. However, for this appointment to be on the agenda, the Collegium must vote, and Staša Košarac is also part of the Collegium. And for the appointment itself, the vote of at least one minister from the Serb people is required.

Even if there is no support for Pandurević, the Council of Ministers of BiH would then have to call for a new competition. However, the Independent Board of the PSBiH, whose mandate has expired and which conducts the procedure for electing directors and deputies in state police agencies, has a quorum problem due to its specific national composition.

The procedure for electing the deputy director of SIPA is also underway, which has been vacant since July 8, 2024, when Zoran Galić fled to avoid arrest. He was officially dismissed in October 2024. Interviews with candidates are scheduled for April 15, and all registered candidates are of Croat nationality.

Ćulum left a written authorization for the further management of SIPA, but the legality of this procedure is questionable, which the Council of Ministers of BiH is also to address today.