PPIO Daily Media Summary, 25 February 2010
> Police issues/Security issues
It is completely untrue that BiH Presidency Member Komsic has been eavesdropped
“Global Integrity” Report 2009: BiH as corrupted as Uganda
RS Police harvesting weapons originating from the war period
„Intel“donates 50,000 U.S. dollars worth equipment to RS MoI
>Crime cases/Incidents/law and order
HNC Police seized over 11 kilos of marijuana in the region of Prozor-Rama
DA: Is mafia sending messages to BiH Chief Prosecutor Barasin?
> Other/ political issues
BiH CoM Chairman Spiric: Requirements for abolishment of the visa regime have been fulfilled
Session of PIC Steering Board commenced in Sarajevo
DP: Dodik and Tihic agreed upon the blockade of the Law on Referendum
> Police issues/Security issues
It is completely untrue that BiH Presidency Member Komsic has been eavesdropped
Dnevni avaz front page and pg. 2, Dnevni list pg. 5 – BiH Prosecution denied yesterday the accusations published by several media regarding the „illegal eavesdropping of the Member of BiH Presidency Zeljko Komsic“, remarking the claims as „untrue and staged“.
BiH Prosecution explained that Komsic has never been a part of the investigation regarding the case of the President of the ASA Group Management, Nihad Imamovic, who claims that SDP Vice President and Novi Grad Municipality Mayor Damir Hadzic, and owner of the ‘Butmir’ construction company Sejo Hasibovic attempted to extort 2, 2 million KM bribe from him, as well as that the prosecution and the police agencies working on this case “operate in accordance with the law exclusively.”
While remarking that the investigation in this case is still ongoing, BiH Prosecution appealed on all political structures to abstain from commenting on the investigation process, adding that this institution will inform the public about the results once the investigation has been officially completed.
“We harshly condemn any attempt of political manipulation of investigations led by the BiH Prosecution,” reads the official announcement of BiH Prosecution.
“Global Integrity” Report 2009: BiH as corrupted as Uganda
Dnevni avaz pg. 10, Dnevni list pg. 9, Vecernji list pg. 7 – In its annual report for 2009, U.S. organisation “Global Integrity”, dealing with researches regarding corruption and administration, stated in its chapter about BiH that political concerns curb the independence of many government agencies including the newly decentralized
ombudsman office,
the supreme audit institution and
the police.
“Regardless of the great international assistance, including the support in fight against corruption, there are only few evidence that the citizens are actually benefiting from the reforms implemented allegedly on the piece of paper only,” stated “Global Integrity” Director, Nathaniel Heller.
BiH, same as Uganda, has the biggest gap between the Laws on Anticorruption and the implementation of the laws mentioned.
“Judicial institutions, especially the prosecutions, refuse to work independently and achieved catastrophically low results in fight against organised crime and corruption,” added Momir Dejanovic, Director of the Center for Humane Politics from Doboj, stressing that according to his information less than 5% of criminal acts of organised crime and corruption are being processed in BiH.
RS Police harvesting weapons originating from the war period
Dnevni avaz pg. 8, Nezavisne novine pg. 7, Dnevni list pg. 6 – RS Police Director, Uros Pena, stated that the members of RS Ministry of Interior (RS MoI) have been informed that a certain number of citizens in RS, and even in Srebrenica, are in possession of weapons originating from the war period.
Pena pointed out that upon the report submitted by citizens or the information submitted by the competent ministry, the police are confiscating the weapons.
„Intel“ donates 50,000 U.S. dollars worth equipment to RS MoI
Dnevni avaz pg. 8, Dnevni list pg. 8, Glas Srpske pg. 6 – “Intel” representatives handed over to Republika Srpska Minister of Interior, Stanislav Cadjo, 30 computers worth 50,000 U.S. dollars.
"The donation represents the support to the Computer Literacy Project implemented by RS MoI employees," Cadjo told the press.
>Crime cases/Incidents/law and order
HNC Police seized over 11 kilos of marijuana in the region of Prozor-Rama
BHT, FTV, Dnevni avaz pg. 14, Nezavisne novine pg. 16, Dnevni list pg. 20, Oslobodjenje pg. 13, Press RS pg. 14 - Herzegovina-Neretva Canton (HNC) Police seized over 11 kilos of marijuana in the region of Prozor-Rama. During the search of a residential facility, a herb substance reminding of marijuana was found. It was announced that the operation has been conducted in cooperation with Police Administrations Prozor and Konjic. More details will be announced during the day.
DA: Is mafia sending messages to BiH Chief Prosecutor Barasin?
Dnevni avaz pg. 2, Oslobodjenje pg. 9 - Members of Canton Sarajevo Ministry of Interior (CS MoI) are still searching after the perpetrators who broke into the apartment used by BiH Chief Prosecutor Milorad Barasin in Sarajevo’s settlement Kosevsko Brdo, stealing a laptop, few hundred KM and several perfumes.
“We still have no concrete information about the possible perpetrators,” stated CS MoI Spokesperson Irfan Nefic.
Regardless of the fact that the perpetrators are still unknown, remarks the daily, the public as well as the judiciary circles claim that it is even more frightening that someone was able to gain access to the apartment of a Chief Prosecutor without any problems, as well as that the competent police agencies in this case failed to react in an adequate manner and protect Barasin’s property.
At the same time, quotes daily a source close to BiH Prosecution, there is a fear of mafia sending a very dangerous messages to the Chief Prosecutor, especially considering the fact that he was exposed to different kinds of threats several times before.
BiH Prosecution refused to comment on who is to blame for the omission in providing security to Barasin and his apartment.
Daily also highlighted in the article that members of SIPA were in charge of securing the apartment.
“Mr. Barasin is in the third category of protected persons, which does not assume constant surveillance of his place of residence, but SIPA patrols occasionally observing his apartment. Upon that routine, his apartment has been observed twice during that night, but SIPA officers have not noticed anything suspicious,” explained SIPA Spokesperson Zeljka Kujundzija in her statement for RTRS.
Nezavisne novine, however, published the unofficial information reporting that the competent persons from CS MoI claim that this case is about an “ordinary” robbery and “not an attack on the independent judiciary.”
“If this has not been the apartment of the Chief Prosecutor, the public would never know about it. The robbers stole some money, used perfumes and of course the laptop. This robbery is similar to many others,” commented the source close to the investigation.
Press RS reported that the robbery of Barasin’s apartment was conducted upon the order of someone who wanted to gain access to the data on his laptop, reiterating that such a robbery represents a huge failure of the security services.
In the front page article titled “Lukac is responsible for Barasin’s apartment not being protected”, Glas Srpske stated that SIPA’s Department for Protection of People and Buildings, headed by Dragan Lukac, is to blame for the fact that Barasin’s apartment has been left without any protection.
Daily claims that they were not able to receive any comment from Lukac with regard to this case.
> Other/ political issues
BiH CoM Chairman Spiric: Requirements for abolishment of the visa regime have been fulfilled
BHT, Nezavisne novine pg. 3, Press RS pg. 3 – During yesterday’s session of both houses of BiH Parliament, BiH Council of Ministers (BiH CoM) Chairman, Nikola Spiric, said that the expert team of the European Union (EU), which has recently examined the fulfilment of conditions for the liberalization of visa regime, expressed satisfaction regarding the progress in the field of fight against corruption.
Spiric reminded that the Law on Anticorruption Agency had been adopted, adding that the next step would be the appointment of the Director of this institutions.
“We can say that BiH has fulfilled its obligations and that we expect the EU expert team to give us a positive assessment, as well as that a positive report will be submitted to the European Commission (EC). We hope that other activities within EU will be completed on time, so that BiH can achieve the liberalization of visa regime by mid-2010,” added BiH Minister of Security Sadik Ahmetovic.
Session of PIC Steering Board commenced in Sarajevo
BHT, RTRS, BN, NTV Hayat, Dnevni avaz pg. 8, Nezavisne novine pg. 2, Oslobodjenje pg. 2 - Peace Implementation Council (PIC) Steering Board commenced the two-day session in Sarajevo.
"Recent threats towards the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country, and attempts to challenge the authority of the High Representative and the constitutional and legal framework of the state will be discussed during the session ", informed the Office of the High Representative (OHR).
PIC will also analyze the progress made by BiH authorities in fulfilling the conditions for EU membership, including the liberalization of visa regime, the Law on Census of BiH and priorities from the European Partnership program.
Chairman of BiH Council of Ministers (BiH CoM), Nikola Spiric, informed the members of PIC that BiH had fulfilled 173 out of 174 conditions from the Road Map for liberalization of the visa regime.
The only condition pending - the appointment of the Director of the Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies - is in the process of fulfilment, as informed by Spiric.
As FTV informed, leaders of political parties did not attend the session as it was the case before. While meeting only with Spiric and two of his deputies, PIC members assessed that BiH has still not fulfilled the conditions and goals necessary for the transformation of the OHR.
“I think that the Steering Committee and member states of the PIC should provide stronger support to the Office of the High Representative, in order for the OHR to become more efficient and give us the possibility of fulfilling the conditions more rapidly, especially those regarding the constitutional reform,“ stated BiH Minister of Security and BiH Council of Ministers (BiH CoM) Deputy Chairman Sadik Ahmetovic, adding that “we must keep the institutions that will protect this country, its sovereignty and territorial integrity. I believe that we have such institutions and that there would be no subverting of sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
As informed by Dnevni list, due to the complete deadlock regarding the fulfilment of 5+2 conditions, the mandate of the High Representative will be extended, while Glas Srpske cited the statement of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Titov, saying that his country is supporting the idea of OHR being closed as soon as possible and without any additional requirements.
DP: Dodik and Tihic agreed upon the blockade of Law on Referendum
Dnevni avaz pg. 11, Vecernji list pg. 6 - Democratic Party (DP) claims that RS Prime Minister Milorad Dodik and SDA Leader Sulejman Tihic agreed to block the recently adopted Law on Referendum in RS "through the mediation of Omer Brankovic, a member of SDA and Minister in Dodik's Government".
It has allegedly been agreed that Bosniak representatives at the RS Council of Peoples will initiate the procedure regarding protection of vital national interest in order to avoid the final adoption of this so-called 'Dodik's Law'.
“This way the referendum will not happened before the October elections, which is Dodik's desire,” writes the official DP statement.
It further states that the DP has information from certain diplomatic sources that Dodik reached an agreement with representatives of some Western countries, that he will stop talking about referendum or the secession of RS if the OHR reaches a decision on foreign prosecutors and judges leaving the BiH Prosecution’s Department for Organized Crime.
Front pages:
Dnevni avaz – It is completely untrue that Komsic has been eavesdropped
Oslobodjenje – After the session of FBiH Parliament: Former soldiers still unsatisfied
Nezavisne novine – Instead of blowing out the candles for her 18th birthday, Dragana Gajic was lead into death
Glas Srpske – Lukac is responsible for Barasin’s apartment not being protected
Press RS – Prijedor still under shock: Man kills his girlfriend because she broke up with him
Dnevni list – Dispute among members of HDZ BiH
Vecernji list – Old lady commits suicide by jumping off the bridge