A high-ranking official accused of corruption walks free - was justice served? The case of former Minister of Culture and Sports Zora Dujmovic raises serious concerns about accountability in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Zora Dujmović served as Minister of Culture and Sports in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2015 until 2022, as a member of the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HDZ). Additionally, she held long-standing role in the Assembly of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton and the House of Peoples of the Federation's Parliament.

In September 2017, the TV station Federalna aired a report alleging that Minister Dujmović had illegally appointed four advisers without following legal employment procedures. She declined to comment on the accusations at the time.

Following investigations, the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office indicted her in March 2022 for abuse of official position alleging that between 2015 and 2016 she appointed advisers who did not meet the necessary criteria. Dujmović was accused of abusing her position by appointing Mate Bandur, Andrijana Katić, Ana Tolo and Goran Lulić as advisers, without conducting a formal hiring process. The prosecution argued that she signed their appointments without verifying their qualifications - a violation of public sector employment laws.

During the trial, witnesses confirmed that hiring unqualified advisers without documentation was a common practice. In line with these concerns, the 2022 The Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) Fifth Evaluation Report for Bosnia and Herzegovina also criticized the lack of transparency in government hiring, highlighting how advisers are often appointed without integrity checks, creating a risk of conflicts of interest.

The trial began in August 2022. During the closing arguments in June 2023, the Cantonal Prosecutor's Office in Sarajevo requested a guilty verdict. Prosecutor Aida Bešlija argued that Dujmović knowingly bypassed hiring procedures. The defence argued for an acquittal or dismissal of the indictment, arguing that she had no intent to break the law and that procedural flaws in the investigation compromised her rights. The defence countered that verifying employment conditions was the responsibility of the Human Resources and Legal departments, not the Minister. They also noted that Dujmović dismissed one of her advisers, Ana Tolo, upon learning she did not meet employment requirements.

In July 2023, the Municipal Court in Sarajevo acquitted Dujmović, ruling that while she had acted in her official capacity, the prosecution failed to prove intent."Judge Kurtovic stated that the indictment's wording—"deliberately failed to determine"—did not meet the legal threshold for "abuse of position or authority."

In August 2024, the Cantonal Prosecutor's Office in Sarajevo appealed the acquittal, requesting a retrial. However, in October 2024, the Cantonal Court in Sarajevo rejected the appeal and upheld the acquittal, making the verdict final.

The Dujmović case highlights a critical flaw in Bosnia and Herzegovina's legal system. Relevant reports on the monitoring of corruption cases in Bosnia and Herzegovina have emphasized these concerns (see here and here).

The impact extends beyond a single case. Public perception that officials can abuse their positions without consequences erodes public trust in government institutions. Moreover, hiring unqualified individuals in key roles wastes public funds, weakens public services, and fosters a culture of nepotism, and corruption.