Court sets public hearing in Dodik appeal case

In the initial verdict, Milorad Dodik was sentenced to one year in prison and banned from holding the political office of Republika Srpska President for six years. Milos Lukic, on the other hand, was acquitted of all charges.

The indictment, filed in 2023, accused Dodik and Lukic of systematically undermining state authority by enacting laws that effectively removed Republika Srpska from the jurisdiction of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina and rejected the authority of the International High Representative. The state prosecution argued that these laws directly endangered Bosnia and Herzegovina’s sovereignty and paved the way for a de facto secession of the entity.

According to the first count, Dodik, in his official capacity, signed and issued a decree proclaiming amendments to the Law on the Publication of Laws and Other Regulations of Republika Srpska. The law had been adopted by the RS National Assembly on June 21, despite a prior decision by the High Representative suspending the legislative process for that law and its decree. By doing so, Dodik is alleged to have ignored and failed to implement the binding decision of the international authority.

Prosecutors stated in the indictment that Dodik was fully aware that the High Representative’s decisions were legally binding under the powers granted to the office. Dodik, however, has consistently rejected the authority of High Representative Christian Schmidt, arguing that proper appointment procedures at the United Nations Security Council were not followed.

The second count of the indictment alleges that Lukic, as acting director of the Official Gazette of Republika Srpska, signed a document on July 9 allowing the publication of the laws and decrees forwarded by Dodik, thus facilitating their official enforcement.