The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has scheduled the continuation of the trial of Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik for January 29 for disrespecting the High Representative’s decisions after the findings of an expert on his health condition were presented, with different estimates of the time needed for recovery.
The status conference presented the findings of an expert on Dodik’s ability to travel to trial and participate in the proceedings after he underwent surgery on December 9. Surgeon Haris Vranić believes that the accused is fit to attend the trial, Detektor reports.
“A normal recovery takes about ten days. After that, there is no medical obstacle to attending the trial,” said Vranić, who expressed his opinion based on the submitted medical documentation.
He explained that he consulted with professional guidelines and colleagues regarding the assessment of the necessary recovery, and that he stands behind his conclusion. He told prosecutor Nedim Ćosić that the procedure performed on Dodik was easier for the patient and the surgeon than a classic one, and that there were no complications.
He noted that he noticed an illogicality in the documentation from the clinic in Belgrade, because it states that he was admitted as an emergency case, and that the operation was the next day.
Defense attorney Goran Bubić asked the expert witness whether he had made negative statements about Dodik on social media. Vranić confirmed that he had left a comment in an interview in which Dodik spoke negatively about a certain nation, but said that he would not characterize the comment as either negative or positive.
The expert witness said that he did not perform the procedure that Dodik underwent. The defense fully objected to the findings.
”I believe that it was ethical to disqualify the expert witness himself, given that we see that he confirmed… he had not only a negative but also a hostile attitude towards my client,” said Bubić.
Judge Sena Uzunović stated at the beginning that the defense had previously requested the disqualification of expert witness Vranić, but that this request was rejected. She said that the Defense then submitted additional medical documentation and that the Court decided to conduct a team expert examination by doctors from the General Hospital “Abdulah Nakaš”.
The six-member team led by surgeon Samir Čustović, after reviewing the medical documentation, also examined Dodik and concluded that the accused would be able to travel between Banja Luka and Sarajevo six weeks after the surgery.
“This is generally in line with some other recommendations from reference centers, four to six weeks,” said Čustović.
He added that the team made the assessment because the patient’s postoperative condition was not satisfactory, but that he believed that the critical part of recovery had passed.
The other five expert witnesses from different specialties – Mirza Biščević, Maja Banjin, Marina Juroš Zovko, Amir Ćehajić and Vesna Matić – confirmed that they stand by the conclusions from the joint findings.
Prosecutor Ćosić was interested in which specific international clinics the experts were referring to, but they could not provide their names. Čustović confirmed to the Defense that he performs procedures like the one Dodik underwent. Defense attorney Bubić said that he did not object to the team’s findings.
Dodik is accused, together with Miloš Lukić, the former acting director of the “Official Gazette of the RS”, of having taken actions in Banja Luka from 1 to 9 July 2023, aware and knowing that the High Representative Christian Schmidt had issued a decision preventing the entry into force of the Law on Non-Application of Decisions of the Constitutional Court of BiH from 1 July of the same year, as well as the decision preventing the entry into force of the Law on Amendments to the Law on the Publication of Laws and Other Regulations of the RS, with the aim of continuing the legislative procedure, without applying and not implementing the decisions of the High Representative.
The last trial in this case was held on December 5, and when asked by the judge whether he would request a re-examination of evidence due to the expiration of the 30-day deadline, the Prosecution and Defense for the second defendant stated that they would not, while defense attorney Bubić said that he must first consult with the defendant and members of the legal team.
