Integrity in the operations of the CBBH in the service of the fight against corruption

On the occasion of December 9, the International Day of the Fight against Corruption, the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CBBH), traditionally, organized a meeting with the media, whose representatives were presented with the progress of the CBBH in the area of prevention of various types of irregularities, including the prevention of all unwanted activities that can lead to emergent forms of corrupt actions, such as inadequate treatment and non-reporting of conflicts of interest, handling gifts and hospitality issues, and the like. In addition to media representatives, the Central Bank also initiated cooperation with Transparency International, with the aim of introducing good practices in the management of processes that are risky from the aspect of corruption, and whose representatives also attended this event today.

The first year since the establishment of the independent, anti-corruption tool “Ethics Line” was also marked, which ranks the CBBH among the few public institutions that have implemented this system. It is an external protected online system that offers the possibility of anonymous reporting on the existence of corruption and other irregularities. The "Ethical Line" system, which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and is free for a reporting person, can be accessed via the website: www.cbbh.ba, by clicking on the "Ethical Line" logo.

Reporting through this system is completely anonymous, if the reporting person wants so, and it is not possible to determine from where and by whom the application was submitted, which provides the applicant with security and a guarantee of identity protection, but also creates credibility and trust among reporting persons who decide to submit a report. The system is managed by an independent third party, which has no insight into the content of internal reports and actions, but which guarantees high technical standards of system protection against misuse or unprofessionalism.

All the activities that were implemented in the CBBH in the previous year were presented, which, in addition to the adoption of the CBBH Code of Ethics and the By Law on Internal Reporting of Corruption and Other Irregularities in the CBBH, also includes the adoption of implementing acts - the Guidelines for Managing Conflicts of Interest and the Guidelines for Handling Gifts and Hospitality Issues, as modern anti-corruption mechanisms.

Also, the provisions of the Code of Ethics, at the last session of the CBBH Governing Board, were amended with the aim of harmonizing with the new amendments to the Law on Public Procurement, the implementation of which begins on December 10, 2022. The changes refer to the provisions that treat conflicts of interest in public procurement processes.

Based on the importance and competence that the CBBH has, as the only institution in the country responsible for monetary policy and the issuance of the domestic currency, strengthening the integrity, the public trust and stability in everything we do, are the goals we strive for every day. Thus, the activities to implement an efficient management system over these business processes will be our commitment in future work, as well.