VSTV considers election of chief prosecutor: Kajganić has not improved the work of the BiH Prosecutor's Office in a year

(Patria) - A session of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina will be held this week, and Milanko Kajganić, acting chief prosecutor of the Prosecutor's Office of BiH, will be invited as the only candidate to the session of the HJPC where he will present his work program, regarding the election of the chief prosecutor of the Prosecutor's Office of BiH. After the withdrawal of Miroslav Janjić's candidacy, about which he informed the HJPC on September 29, and the elimination of prosecutor Diana Kajmaković, who is under US sanctions, Kajganić remained the only one on the list.

Council members will ask questions to Kajganić, after which they will proceed to vote. Good connoisseurs of the situation in BiH's judiciary emphasize that the entire procedure is contaminated and that it would be best to repeat the entire procedure. On the other hand, they recall the EC report on the state of the judiciary for the past year. Kajganić has been acting chief prosecutor since the dismissal of Gordana Tadić in October 2021. According to the EC report, there was no progress in the judiciary during that period.

"Bosnia and Herzegovina is at an early stage/has achieved a certain level of preparedness in preventing and fighting corruption and organized crime. During the reporting period, there was no progress in this area. Parliament refused to adopt the law on conflict of interest. Political leaders and judicial institutions failed to address the problem of widespread corruption and actively blocked progress, leading to a prolonged stalemate and increasing signs of political capture. The continued lack of progress at all levels of government increases the risk of backsliding. Political leaders and judicial institutions must urgently correct this situation.

Although there were some indictments and verdicts related to high-level corruption during the reporting period, the overall results in the area of preventing and combating corruption (including high-level corruption) remain insignificant due to operational inefficiency and political influence. There are systemic shortcomings in operational cooperation between law enforcement agencies in the fight against organized crime due to uncoordinated criminal legislation, weak institutional cooperation, and very limited exchange of intelligence. Criminal organizations active in BiH exploit legal and administrative gaps. The police are subject to political influence.

Financial investigations and temporary seizure of assets are also largely ineffective. A proactive approach remains key in combating the infiltration of criminal groups into the political, legal, and economic system. The contact point for cooperation with Europol is still not operational – preparatory steps are being taken. There is no systemic cooperation with Eurojust. Bosnia and Herzegovina should continue its efforts in the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking and improve its capacities for these purposes. It should urgently adopt a new law on preventing money laundering and financing terrorism in line with the EU acquis," the report states.

On the other hand, one of the cases that should have been resolved as a priority concerns corruption in the Border Police of BiH during the recruitment of 150 cadets. However, the Prosecutor's Office of BiH only filed an indictment against six individuals after a year, while the fate of the 150 cadets remains unknown.