Under the auspices of the AIRE Centre, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina held a two-day round table on the current issues concerning the fight against corruption. The presenters included Judge Aneta Arnaudovska from Macedonia, who is also an anti-corruption expert at the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative, judges of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina with long experience in prosecuting corruption cases, as well as representatives of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA).
The President of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr. Ranko Debevec, addressed the gathering by stressing the importance of prosecuting cases pertaining to criminal offenses of corruption. He particularly underlined the significance of transparent operation of institutions, which, due to their prosecution of criminal offenses of public interests, have often been in the media and public focus. The Court of BiH welcomes well-supported and objective criticism, since it is critique that keeps everyone vigilant and is the best possible corrective, the Court of BiH President said.
On behalf of the AIRE Centre, legal advisor Aida Trožić voiced her support for the Court of BiH, especially noting that the AIRE Centre has been supportive of improving judicial capacities in combating corruption. It was in that context that she presented two projects: “Increasing judicial capacities in BiH for the purpose of harmonization of national case law and its approximation with European legal standards, 2019-2022” and “Strengthening anti-corruption capacities in South-East Europe through improvement of assets forfeiture measures.”
The topics discussed at the round table included: public perception of the prosecution of corruption cases, possible corruption risks in their prosecution and adjudication, as well as financial investigations. Representatives of the Court presented Court’s jurisprudence in corruption cases, while also discussed were procedural issues noticed in the case law of the Court of BiH for the purpose of case law harmonization.
The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina remains fully committed to the process of strengthening the rule of law and, apart from performing its primary role, prosecuting cases from within its jurisdiction, and its other activities, it continues to send out a message that human rights violations and breaches of law are unacceptable.
The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina avails itself of the opportunity to thank the United Kingdom Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina for their continued support and the efforts made by the hard-working staff of the AIRE Centre, led by the Programme Manager for the Western Balkans, Ms. Biljana Braithwaite.
