Bosnia and Herzegovina’s High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council is facing a sharp increase in complaints against judges and prosecutors, with the Office of the Disciplinary Prosecutor reporting a 30.5% rise in new reports during the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year. Chief Disciplinary Prosecutor Alena Kurspahić Nadarević told council members that her office had received 525 reports since January and was processing 923 active complaints, representing a 43% increase in its overall caseload.
The rise in complaints against judges and prosecutors in BiH reflects growing public awareness of judicial accountability, alongside continuing concerns about the pace and integrity of court proceedings. The increased workload has placed additional pressure on disciplinary authorities as they attempt to process cases more efficiently.
Disciplinary Complaints Increase Across BiH Judiciary
The complaints highlight several areas of concern within the judicial system. Kurspahić Nadarević reported an increase in grievances over excessively long proceedings, as well as allegations that judicial officials failed to properly declare their assets. Of the new reports, 32 were opened ex officio, mainly involving statute of limitations issues, while 39 were submitted by people professionally engaged in the judiciary.
Despite the heavier workload, the Office of the Disciplinary Prosecutor has reduced the average time needed to resolve complaints. So far this year, 16 disciplinary proceedings have been completed and 11 measures have become final, affecting one prosecutor and ten judges. Salary reductions were the most common sanction, imposed in six cases, followed by four public warnings and one written warning, while eight judicial office holders remain suspended pending the outcome of their cases.
The council unanimously approved a measure giving the Department for Conducting Proceedings Based on Reports direct access to the Case Management System used by courts. Council President Sanin Bogunić said access would be restricted to two nominated employees, with the aim of avoiding delays caused when disciplinary officials must formally request case information from courts.
The closed door discussion highlighted the sensitivity of allowing an oversight body to access internal judicial databases. Supporters of the measure argued that direct access is necessary to verify facts more quickly and improve the handling of disciplinary reports. At the same session, Council of Europe representative Sažida Tulić presented the second phase of a project supporting the consistent national application of the European Convention on Human Rights and the implementation of European Court of Human Rights judgments.
The first phase of that project concluded on December 31, 2025, after providing training and institutional tools. The second phase will run from January 2026 through December 2027, continuing efforts to strengthen judicial capacity and improve compliance with European human rights standards.
Court Efficiency and Long Delayed Reforms
The council also reviewed court efficiency figures that showed a mixed performance across the judiciary. The District Commercial Court in Bijeljina met its prescribed caseload target, although officials noted that it handles a relatively small number of cases. Meanwhile, the Basic Court in Prnjavor has remained near the lower end of its performance target for an extended period, while municipal courts in Široki Brijeg and Ljubuški fell below expectations after strikes disrupted their operations.
The Appellate Court of the Brčko District recorded very low case resolution rates for the second consecutive reporting period. This prompted meetings between court leadership and the Department for Improving the Efficiency and Quality of Work in Courts. There were also positive indicators, with 62% of resolved cases originating in 2025 and more than 80% of all resolved cases being no older than two years, suggesting that judicial backlogs have not yet reached a critical level.
The session also addressed long delayed structural reforms. The Ministry of Justice invited the HJPC to appoint representatives to a working group focused on reforming appellate litigation procedures, an initiative originally launched between 2021 and 2022 but subsequently stalled. Council member Davor Martinović criticized the ministry for taking years to respond, arguing that the reform process has been unnecessarily delayed.
The Standing Commission for Legislation proposed turning existing materials into a draft legal solution that could eventually be submitted to entity parliaments. With complaints against judges and prosecutors in BiH continuing to rise, international partners calling for faster compliance with European Court of Human Rights decisions and several courts struggling with their caseloads, the council faces an important period ahead.
Whether new digital access tools and pending legislative reforms can improve efficiency and restore public confidence will depend on whether the increase in complaints proves to be a temporary surge or evidence of deeper institutional problems within the judiciary.
