The Appellate Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has issued a second-instance verdict upholding the first-instance verdict against the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik. This has resulted in a final and binding sentence of one year in prison and a six-year ban on holding the office of President of Republika Srpska.
The verdict was issued due to Dodik signing a decree on laws adopted by the National Assembly of Republika Srpska in 2023, which stipulated that the decisions of the High Representative in BiH would not be published in the Official Gazette of Republika Srpska, nor would they be implemented in that entity.
As a reminder, High Representative Kristijan Šmit immediately after their adoption annulled these laws and criminalized non-compliance with OHR decisions. However, Dodik ignored this decision and signed a decree on the promulgation of the law, thereby violating the amended Criminal Code of BiH, in the part relating to non-compliance with decisions of the High Representative.
As a result, the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH has filed an indictment against Milorad Dodik, as well as against the Director of the Official Gazette of Republika Srpska, Miloš Lukić.
In the first instance proceedings, Lukić was acquitted of the charges, while Dodik was convicted – a verdict that has now become final.
The text of the first instance verdict also states a security measure – a ban on holding the office of the President of the RS for a period of six years. In addition, the legal consequences of the conviction automatically come into force, including a ban on holding office and the cessation of official duties, in accordance with Article 203 of the Criminal Code of BiH, under which Dodik was convicted.
