Numerous reactions have been recorded to the statement and threat of the President of Republika Srpska to seize property.
The Delegation of the European Union to BiH condemned the threats, stating that they are unacceptable and must stop.
They recall that the Constitution of BiH is the highest legal act of a country. Its provisions must be fully respected, including the rulings of the Constitutional Court.
After employees in state institutions of Republika Srpska (RS) ignored Milorad Dodik’s order to leave the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), he escalated his threats against them, claiming that their property would be confiscated.
“I see the president of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) is boasting about whether Serbs will or won’t… We will act very decisively. They are not there because they are educated or because they are lawyers, but to respect RS. And if someone does not respect RS institutions, then we have no reason to respect them. I have already, on my way here, ordered that a list be made of all those working in the HJPC who are representatives of courts and prosecutor’s offices. If they are from Zvornik, for example, and if someone is a member of the HJPC and continues working there while also being a judge here, the court here will be abolished and moved elsewhere, and we will not finance it,” he said.
He reiterated once again that the authorities in RS will not hesitate.
“Imagine a lawyer who does not respect the laws of his country. That is impossible. Or do they want to say that their country is BiH? Our laws are in accordance with the Constitution, while those they are trying to uphold are not. And you call yourself a lawyer? You are not. You are just an opportunist because you are afraid. You are ready to throw your diploma into the water. By the end of the day, a number of State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) members will transfer to the RS Ministry of Internal Affairs. We will continue to pursue our policy. RS has the strength to enforce its laws, and we will enforce them, while BiH does not have that strength and will not enforce its laws in RS,” he said.
According to him, “it is important that when the final establishment of the special prosecutor’s office and court is adopted, we will start acting, and then anyone appearing in RS with a SIPA badge will be arrested.”
“That is an illegal act. We do not need to explain it to them, they are lawyers. We will now implement sanctions. If the law states that non-compliance with the National Assembly of RS (NARS) decisions carries a prison sentence of five months to six years, we will enforce that.”
Then, he presented “an idea.”
“There is also an idea that I like. We have not incorporated it into the criminal law yet, but we may do so. Anyone who continues working and usurping a position that belongs to RS – because RS gets that position, not them – we are exploring ways to confiscate their property in RS. We will implement this in the coming months, and since they are lawyers, let them prove they are right,” he said.
