PROPOSED LAW ON COURT HAD NEITHER CONSTITUTIONAL BASIS NOR CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLES

SARAJEVO, DECEMBER 22 /SRNA/ – Chairman of the Serb Caucus in the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH Milan Petković said today that the Draft Law on the Court, which was before representatives at today’s session, had neither a constitutional basis nor constitutional principles, which was also confirmed by the House of Representatives during the vote.

Speaking about the Draft Law on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council /HJPC/, which was adopted today in the first reading, Petković said that this legislation is necessary on BiH’s European path, but that experts must be consulted during its drafting, while the final word belongs to politics and the parliamentary majority.

According to him, it is symptomatic that this law, which falls within the domain of the judiciary, was proposed by representatives who are not lawyers by profession.

"I thank them for their effort and work, but we believed it was necessary to involve experts, and they did not have an opinion from the HJPC nor did they consult professionals from the judiciary who deal with these matters seriously," Petković told reporters after the emergency session of the House of Representatives.

He also pointed to objections raised by the Legislative and Legal Committee, noting that these indicate the law was not drafted in a professional manner.

Petković stressed that it is good that a conclusion was adopted envisaging that the draft law be sent to a 30-day public debate, in order to obtain a higher-quality solution.

The House of Representatives today adopted, in the first reading, the Draft Law on the HJPC of BiH, proposed by representatives from opposition parties from Republika Srpska.