A total of 200 agents of the former Intelligence and Security Service of Republika Srpska, which employs some 400 people, were sacked on December 31. Some 300 members of the former Federation Security and Intelligence Agency were also dismissed.
In line with the new systematisation, the new Intelligence and Security Agency of Bosnia-Herzegovina, which has replaced the former entity secret services, will employ 703 people. The former entity secret agencies employed 1,048 people.
A coordinators in the former Intelligence and Security Service of Republika Srpska, Trifko Buha, has confirmed the information about dismissals to the Banja Luka daily.
The Intelligence and Security Agency of Bosnia-Herzegovina was founded as part of the reorganisation of the security sector in the country. The decision about the reorganisation was made by the international community's High Representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina, Paddy Ashdown, following recommendations by a commission chaired by Hungarian diplomat Kalman Kocsiz. The commission said the entity secret agencies were inefficient and under a strong influence of political parties.
The work of Intelligence and Security Service of Republika Srpska was criticised the most. Members of the Bosnian Serb secret agency were suspected of aiding war crimes indictees.