Bosnia media: Court issues second-instance decision sentencing Milorad Dodik to one year in prison

Photo: Tanjug/AP

The appellate panel of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina made a second-instance decision in the case of Milorad Dodik, the president of the Serb Republic (RS).

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According to local media, the court confirmed the first-instance decision and sentenced Dodik to one year in prison, and imposed a six-year ban on serving as RS president.

Dodik was convicted because he signed decrees enacting a law adopted by the RS National Assembly in 2023, according to which the decisions of the high representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) will not be published in the RS Official Gazette, nor will they be implemented in that entity.

Shortly after the National Assembly adopted these measures, the high representative (Christian Schmidt) annulled them, and criminalized non-compliance with his decisions, but Milorad Dodik ignored that and signed the decree to enact the law, writes Klix.

Given that Dodik did not comply with the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina - which had been amended by Schmidt - the Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment against Dodik and against the director of the RS Official Gazette, Milos Lukic.

Lukic was acquitted in the first-instance ruling, while Dodik was convicted, which has now been confirmed in the second-instance proceedings.

(Telegraf.rs)