Bringing Investigative Journalists and Prosecutors together in BiH

‘Investigative journalists are courageous individuals risking their lives to bring truth to the light of day. Law enforcement, prosecutors, judges – all judicial office holders – should show such courage in their work. The people of BiH expect and deserve that’, said Nancy J. Eslick, the USAID Mission Director in BiH.

This was the main message communicated today to the prosecutors who participated in a workshop on the importance of a proactive approach in an investigation. Prosecutor proactivity in communication with investigative journalism media offers a greater opportunity to detect and prosecute corrupt practices, which is often among the most difficult tasks for a prosecutor. Media usually discover corruption more easily than prosecutors, so the prosecutors' proactive investigative approach and readiness to cooperate with the media is necessary.

Participants were also introduced to the web platform “Pratimo tendere” (we track public procurement), which can help prosecutors track and identify indications of corruption in public procurement processes. Nancy Eslick, USAID/BIH Mission Director addressed the prosecutors during the event, as well as Erik N. Larson, US Embassy / INL Senior Anti-Corruption Advisor. Adnan Tulić, Deputy Chief Prosecutor in Bihać, presented prosecutorial perspectives on using open-source information to initiate investigations, while Stevan Dojčinović, one of the world's leading investigative journalists, talked about working with the judiciary and helping them use information provided by the media to uncover corruption. 

The learning session ‘Use of Available Information in the Media as a Basis for Proactive Investigations’ was facilitated by the USAID's Judiciary Against Corruption Activity (JACA), as part of the ongoing, multi-year individualized training program that the Project is delivering for BiH prosecutors. JACA experts spoke openly with the participants on the need to reinforce this connection with the investigative journalists, act more proactively in detecting and investigating corruption based on open-source information, and presented related successful examples of judiciary and media joining forces from around the world, in the region, and in BiH.

Workshop lecturers and participants shared their views on this important topic with us in the video below: