BUKEJLOVIĆ: POINTLESS TO DEBATE DECISIONS OF JUDGES WITHOUT LEGITIMACY

BANJA LUKA, MAY 31 /SRNA/ – The Minister of Justice of Republika Srpska, Miloš Bukejlović, stated for SRNA that the incomplete Constitutional Court of BiH lacks legitimacy and a quorum to make decisions on any matter and cannot perform constitutional duties since it does not have the full complement of nine properly appointed members.

Bukejlović emphasized that Republika Srpska will not accept that laws adopted in accordance with Dayton-authorized powers be contested by an institution that lacks both legality and legitimacy. "For all these reasons, it is pointless to debate the decisions published by a group of judges gathered in the incomplete Constitutional Court of BiH, as the legal validity of those decisions is fundamentally questionable," Bukejlović said, commenting on the challenge to a set of laws adopted by the National Assembly of Republika Srpska. He stressed that the actions of this court represent yet another form of political pressure. "The Constitutional Court of BiH has long ceased to rule based on the law and is instead guided by the policies of certain Western countries and the interests of only one ethnic group," Bukejlović said. The Justice Minister of Srpska stated that all activities related to the contested laws were carried out in accordance with the Constitution and laws of Republika Srpska and with the competencies granted by the Dayton Peace Accords. According to him, the laws challenged by the incomplete Constitutional Court are legitimate, constitutional, and serve to protect the competencies guaranteed to Republika Srpska by the Dayton Peace Accords. "They have constitutional and democratic legitimacy. Accordingly, we will review and initiate further legal procedures using all available legal remedies," Bukejlović concluded.