SIPA Employees in Banja Luka Evacuate Building Amid Threats of Forced Entry from Republika Srpska Ministry of Interior
The residence of the President of the Republika Srpska located in Banja Luka, Photo: Shutterstock
Agents from the Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) vacated their offices at the Regional Office in Banja Luka upon request from the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) of Republika Srpska, as failure to comply would result in an enforced entry by the RS Special Police, as confirmed by a source within the MUP to Beta.
“The Director of the RS Police, Siniša Kostrešević, reached out to SIPA Director, Darko Ćulum, requesting the Regional Office employees in Banja Luka to leave the premises. Otherwise, the RS Special Police would intervene,” the source informed Beta.
Ćulum advised the staff to exit the office to prevent any potential conflict.
Kostrešević invoked a law passed by the RS National Assembly that restricts SIPA’s operations within RS territory.
Media sources in BiH indicate that SIPA personnel at their headquarters in East Sarajevo have reported to work without any noted incidents.
According to Radio Free Europe (RFE), the entry to the SIPA building in Banja Luka has been secured today.
The outlet states that it has not received any official statements from SIPA regarding the situation in Banja Luka, nor any replies to rumors that the Republika Srpska’s Ministry of Internal Affairs plans to take control of the building today.
Mirna Miljanović, spokesperson for the RS MUP, informed RFE/RL that she is unaware of such developments.
An RFE/RL correspondent onsite observed minimal activity at the SIPA location in Banja Luka, with no individuals entering or exiting, and the Agency’s entry gates remain closed.
The parking area is largely vacant, save for a few marked SIPA vehicles.
Only the guards at the facility were present, and they declined to provide any information.
Reliable sources report to RFE/RL that SIPA employees in Banja Luka received notices indicating a reduction in their working hours.
Previously, the RS Ministry of Interior requested SIPA workers to submit applications for transfers to the RS Ministry of Interior.
This request followed the announcement in the Official Gazette of RS regarding unconstitutional laws that prevent the operations of the BiH Court, the BiH Prosecutor’s Office, SIPA, and the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of BiH.
At this time, no official figures indicate how many SIPA employees have taken up the RS Ministry of Interior’s offer.
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