The U.S Embassy, like many members of the international community and citizens here in BiH, is disappointed that the President of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) continues to be at the center of ongoing allegations of corruption, which undermines HJPC’s role in ensuring an independent, impartial, and effective judiciary. A functioning judiciary, trusted by citizens, is essential to BiH’s further Euro-Atlantic integration.
The HJPC is charged with some of the most important responsibilities that affect the BiH judiciary, such as appointing and removing judges and prosecutors. As such, members of the HJPC should have the highest ethical and moral standards.
While yesterday’s extraordinary HJPC session was a step in the right direction, it is clear that the HJPC has to set aside the career ambitions of the President or any individual member and do what is needed in order to restore public trust in an institution suffering from a crisis of confidence. At yesterday’s session, the HJPC concluded that the relationship between the Council and the International Community has been harmed by these, and other allegations. The HJPC must recognize that what is even more important than its relationship with the International Community is building trust with the citizens of BiH.