Goran Bubic, the lawyer representing Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik, confirmed on Wednesday morning that the verdict sentencing Dodik to one year in prison had been officially delivered. Bubic announced that he would file an appeal against the decision.

“The appeal has nothing to do with the President. He said he is no longer interested in this matter, but he hasn’t revoked my authorization. This is a serious legal irregularity, and we can’t allow it to remain in the legal system. The deadline for filing an appeal is 15 days, with the possibility of an additional 15-day extension upon request”, Bubic told RTRS.

The political crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina escalated after the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina handed down a first-instance verdict in late February, sentencing Dodik to one year in prison and barring him from holding the office of RS President for six years. The charges stem from his “disregard for the decisions of the High Representative in BiH”.

The Bosnian State Prosecutor’s Office subsequently issued a detention warrant for Dodik, along with RS Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic and Nenad Stevandic, the speaker of the RS National Assembly.

The three officials are under investigation for the criminal offence of “undermining the constitutional order” following the RS National Assembly’s adoption of laws—signed by Dodik—prohibiting the operations of state-level judicial and security institutions within the entity.