HJPC BiH Marks the Launch of the Department for Processing Reports: Bogunić First to Undergo Verification

(Patria) - The High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HJPC BiH/Council), in cooperation with the European Union Delegation to BiH, today organized a ceremony to mark the launch of the Department for Processing Reports (Department). The ceremony was held at the premises of the HJPC BiH, with the presence of members of the Presidency of the HJPC BiH, heads of the highest judicial institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as representatives of the European Union Delegation to BiH.

At the ceremony, the President of the HJPC BiH, Sanin Bogunić, handed over his asset and interest declaration to Vesna Pirija, Head of the Department, thereby confirming his personal commitment to the principles of integrity and accountability and highlighting the importance of fulfilling this legal obligation by all judicial office holders.

“The Department represents a foundation for strengthening integrity, transparency, and public trust in the work of the judiciary. Today, from this ceremony, we are sending a clear message that the judiciary in BiH must be accountable, transparent, and resistant to pressure and corruption, which we will intensively work on in the period ahead,” stated the President of the HJPC BiH, Sanin Bogunić.

The European Union Delegation to BiH has provided support to the HJPC BiH in the process of establishing the new Department, and has expressed full support for its work, emphasizing that a responsible and transparent judiciary is one of the key priorities on Bosnia and Herzegovina's European path.

“Asset and interest declarations are an important tool for preventing conflicts of interest, detecting illicit enrichment, and building trust in the judiciary. Transparency is key to public trust. The European Union expects the new Department for Processing Reports to act independently and professionally. In agreement with the HJPC BiH and in accordance with domestic law, the European Union is launching an External Monitoring Operation to oversee and support the implementation of the system and to assess the results of the system's work in the broader context of BiH's accession process to the EU,” stated Ambassador Luigi Soreca, Head of the EU Delegation and EU Special Representative in BiH.

The Head of the Department, Vesna Pirija, informed in her presentation that since its functional establishment in June this year, the Department has undertaken a series of activities to establish cooperation with relevant institutions for obtaining data to verify the claims in the reports, and that it provides daily support to report filers and develops internal procedures for lawful and efficient processing in verification procedures. She also stated that on June 9, the Council made the electronic form for filling out reports functional, which started the 90-day deadline for their submission, and that, in order to ensure transparency, technical conditions have been provided for the publication of reports on the website and a mechanism for the public to report inaccurate claims in the reports.

The establishment and operationalization of the Department for Processing Reports confirms the HJPC BiH's readiness to fulfill the recommendations in the area of the rule of law, which are crucial for Bosnia and Herzegovina's European path. In the coming period, the HJPC BiH will continue to work intensively on ensuring all necessary conditions that will enable the Department to work qualitatively and efficiently in the process of collecting, verifying, and publishing asset and interest declarations of judicial office holders.