BOGUNIĆ: PROSECUTOR FOR COOPERATION WITH EUROJUST TO BE APPOINTED SOON

SARAJEVO, JANUARY 13 /SRNA/ - The president of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council /HJPC/ of BiH Sanin Bogunić told SRNA that BiH should soon appoint a prosecutor to act as a liaison with the EU Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation /EUROJUST/, which will be of particular importance for more efficient prosecution of organized crime offenses.

Bogunić pointed out that this will provide BiH with its own focal point for operational, legal, and strategic cooperation in cases that cross national borders, since organized crime has precisely such a character. He noted that, after a long period of time, the conditions have also been created for the implementation of the 2024 Agreement between EUROJUST and the competent authorities of BiH on judicial cooperation in criminal matters, adding that this process is underway and is being led by the Ministry of Justice in the Council of Ministers. When asked whether BiH has done enough in terms of filing indictments and resolving organized crime cases, Bogunić pointed out that it is important to view the broader context, as well as specific indicators, which he described as "very satisfactory". "From 2021 to 2025, prosecutors' offices in BiH resolved a total of 575 organized crime cases, including 59 high-level organized crime cases. During this period, 161 indictments were filed, including 40 high-level organized crime cases. These figures indicate continuity of work and a stable institutional response to the most serious forms of crime. We can say that they are very satisfactory," Bogunić assessed. He said it was particularly important to emphasize that a certain number of cases in this period stemmed from evidence obtained through decrypted communications from platforms such as Sky and Anom, which have significantly changed the way organized crime investigations are conducted. "Such cases are extremely complex, as they involve the analysis of a large volume of digital evidence, international legal assistance, and harmonization with human rights protection standards. Despite these challenges, prosecutors have managed to bring some of these cases to the indictment stage and to conclude the proceedings," Bogunić emphasized. When it comes to the prosecution of war crimes cases, Bogunić noted that many cases have yet to be resolved, and that one of the problems is that a significant number of the accused and convicted are located outside BiH. "One of the obstacles in working on the most complex category-one cases is the fact that a significant number of suspects and indicted persons are located in neighboring countries or beyond. Without improving regional cooperation, the process will be slowed regardless of capacities within BiH," Bogunić assessed. When asked about cooperation with other countries in resolving war crimes cases, organized crime cases, and other forms of criminal offenses, Bogunić replied that, statistically speaking, in September 2025, 49 percent of the total number of unresolved war crimes cases across all prosecutors' offices in BiH consisted of cases that remain unresolved due to the unavailability of the suspect.