Law on Reporting and Verification of Asset Data of Public Office Holders Restores Citizens' Trust in Government

(Patria) - The oral part of the public hearing on the Draft Law on Reporting and Verification of Asset Data of Public Office Holders was held at the seat of the institutions of the Zenica-Doboj Canton, for cantonal ministries, assembly deputies, political entities, non-governmental organizations and citizens.

The public hearing was organized by the Ministry of Justice and Administration in cooperation with the Office for the Fight against Corruption, and over the past two months, the oral public hearing was held in cities and municipalities.

- I must express my satisfaction with the relatively good turnout. We had no general objections, and in all local communities where we held public hearings, we received approval from the participants in the discussion who highlighted the need for adopting such a law - said the Minister of Justice and Administration, Nebojša Nikolić.

He announced that an analysis of all comments will be carried out in the next 15 days, so that the final text of the law could be before the assembly deputies in January.

Prime Minister Nezir Pivić said that this law testifies to the commitment of the government he leads to the fight against corruption, which he also announced in his exposé upon the appointment of the Government at the end of October last year. He emphasized that this law is extremely important because it restores citizens' trust in government institutions, and the law also covers cities and municipalities, which significantly expands the scope of the number of public office holders whose assets will be verified.

- The public and the media will have the opportunity to gain insight into the actual assets and income of public office holders, because so far we have had cases where certain public office holders have spent their entire lives in certain positions in government institutions and worked for a salary, while their assets are much more valuable than they could realistically have. This is an opportunity to provide answers through asset reporting, verification and the action of the Office for the Fight against Corruption as to whether such suspicions are justified, but also for public office holders to have responsibility towards citizens and justify their assets - said Prime Minister Pivić.

Deputy in the Assembly of the Zenica-Doboj Canton, Behija Kulović, pointed out that this is "the most useful law in the long run" for this canton and that after the adoption of this law, it is necessary to strengthen the Office for the Fight against Corruption, which must be free from political influences.

- The essence of this law is to protect the integrity of public office, which has, unfortunately, been significantly shaken, and to prevent corrupt activities during the performance of public functions. I hope that after the adoption of this law, other laws from the anti-corruption set will be adopted in order to comprehensively regulate this area - said Deputy Kulović.

The Secretary of the Office for the Fight against Corruption, authorized by the Government, Dževad Fejzić, said that with the adoption of this law, the Office will be able to carry out all its tasks and responsibilities for which it was established. He stated that the Election Law prescribes the obligation to report the assets of elected officials, but that there is a large number of appointees in very responsible positions whose assets are not transparent.

- This is not a repressive, but a preventive law, and with it we ultimately want to raise the integrity of appointed persons to a higher level and thus restore citizens' trust, to appoint the best among us to those positions, which does not mean that they have not been so far, but a surface will be exposed beneath which we will have a clear picture of the assets of public office holders at the cantonal and municipal level - said Fejzić.

He emphasized that public office holders will have an obligation to report the assets of close relatives as well, which will not be publicly disclosed, but may be subject to verification by the Office for the Fight against Corruption. He announced that two new registers will result from the new law - an asset register and a gift register.

The public hearing at the seat of the institutions of the Zenica-Doboj Canton concluded the oral part of the public hearing, and proposals and comments on the Draft Law on Reporting and Verification of Asset Data of Public Office Holders can be submitted until November 15, 2024, via e-mail at [email protected] or to the address: Ministry of Justice and Administration of the Zenica-Doboj Canton, Kučukovići no. 2, 72000 Zenica, as well as through the protocol of the Zenica-Doboj Canton.