President of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina Valerija Galić, Vice-Presidents Mirsad Ćeman and Zlatko Knežević and Registrar of the Court Sevima Sali-Terzić have been on a study visit to the United Kingdom from 26 to 29 March 2023.
During the visit, the delegation of the Constitutional Court met the justices and press officers of several courts and institutions of the United Kingdom to talk about the prosecution of the organized crime cases and the manner in which the courts of the United Kingdom communicate with media and public.
The members of the delegation of Bosnia and Herzegovina also met the President of the United Kingdom Supreme Court, Lord Robert Reed and Justice, Lord Philip Sales. During the visit, they talked about the court transparency, and the members of the delegation have been informed of the communication policies and practices in the United Kingdom Supreme Court.
The representatives of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina had an opportunity to talk to the justices and lawyers working on the cases based on digital evidence and have been informed of the challenges the institutions of the United Kingdom were facing in confiscation of the property obtained through unlawful conduct.
The members of the delegation of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina emphasized that the visit was very useful given that they were informed in detail of the manner in which the courts were facing the challenges in prosecuting the cases of organised crime and communicating with the public. The representatives of the Constitutional Court stressed that they would apply that knowledge and good practices in order to contribute to the effective fight against organized crime and to advance the communication practices of the Constitutional Court with a view to strengthening the public confidence in the court's work.
The study visit has been organized as a part of the Project "Strengthening the Capacity of the Judiciary to Fight against Organized Crime and Impunity in Bosnia and Herzegovina" implemented by the AIRE Centre, with a support of the Government of the United Kingdom. The key goals of the Project are the harmonization and transparency of the national case law, its harmonization with good practices, decisions of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina and European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, notably in the field of criminal justice, and the advancement of the external communication of the highest courts in Bosnia and Herzegovina
