Bosnia's Top Judge to Resign Following Corruption Charges

The leader of Bosnia's highest judicial body said Thursday he would resign, due to several corruption charges he denies.

Milan Tegelltija, Serbian, said he would leave the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council, which he has headed since 2014, fearing for his own security.

This Council was formed in 2004 to protect the independence and impartiality of the ethnically divided judiciary in Bosnia after the 1992-95 war.

But an independent report, authorised by the European Union last year, has found that the Judiciary Council is often perceived as a centre of irresponsible power, led by people serving an influential political network.

Last month, a local news portal has published a audio-registering in which Tegelltija allegedly advised another judge from the Council how to bypass accusations of nepotism during the employment of a relative within the court system.

Tegelltija has said the census, which has prompted criticism by the public against him and the institution, is false.

At a media conference Thursday, he also said he was the victim of illegal intelligence activities and accused the largest Bosnian Muslim party, The SDA, for orchestrating a media campaign against him.

Other members of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council have singled out audio-incension as false, but last week, they have asked Tegelltija to consider resigning because, as they have said, his public image is damaging the Council's relations with international partners.

The EU delegation and the US Embassy in Bosnia have also called on Tegelltija to resign.

The American Embassy welcomed its announcement of resignation, saying in a Twitter post that this “is just one of many steps the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council should take to restore the trust of Bosnia and Herzegovina citizens”.