The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina made a statement after the first-instance verdict in the criminal case “Milorad Dodik and others” was pronounced, stating that it always makes decisions based on the law and presented evidence, and not on external influences.
As they stated in the statement, the primary and fundamental task of the Court of BiH is to justify the public’s trust with its impartial and lawful conduct. Judicial ethics and responsibility imply the obligation to act in accordance with the laws, rules and principles of justice, as well as maintaining trust in the judicial system.
“The Court of BiH is not subject to any external influences of any kind when making its decisions, because such an attempt would represent an attack on the independent position of the Court. Therefore, the Court acts exclusively in accordance with legal provisions, protecting the rule of law, the impartiality of the Court and the work of the judiciary,” the Court of BiH said in a statement.
Criminal proceedings, they stated, relate to an individual, not to a function or institution.
“Although the circumstances in which the trial in the case of ‘Milorad Dodik et al.’ was conducted were very demanding, in which the Court was faced with significant pressure from the public and political actors, the ultimate goal of the Court of BiH was to act in accordance with the law and to respect the principles of justice and independence of the judicial system,” the Court of BiH stressed.
The Court of BiH is committed, as always, to acting according to the highest standards while respecting all procedural and human rights, the statement said.
