President of Bosnia's Republika Srpska entity, Milorad Dodik, has pardoned five convicts, including former public attorney Mirko Stojcinovic and former Doboj Hospital director Mladen Gajic.

Dodik exercised his legal right to pardon, despite the Banja Luka District Court issuing negative opinions in both cases, as reported by the Banja Luka portal Capital.ba.

Budget damage and misconduct in office

In July 2021, Stojcinovic was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for abuse of office and authority, a verdict upheld by the Supreme Court of RS in September 2022. He was also banned from working in public service.

Stojcinovic was convicted of causing millions in damages to the city of Banja Luka through his actions.

Former hospital director in Doboj, Mladen Gajic, will have his conviction for negligent service erased. Gajic was initially sentenced to ten months in prison, later commuted to a fine, which he paid.

The prosecution charged Gajic with conducting a procurement process for protective suits and masks for the hospital and the “Home for the Elderly in Doboj” without a public notice, with a total value of 136,918 KM (about 70,000 euros) including VAT.

According to the indictment, instead of the contracted medical supplies, non-medical items were delivered, causing a budget loss of 82,320 KM (about 42,000 euros) to the city of Doboj. Gajic also reimbursed this amount.

Pardoning individuals prone to violence

In addition to these two, Dodik pardoned several individuals prone to violence, including one convicted of causing a traffic accident that resulted in the death of a motorcyclist.

Jelena Trivic, President of the opposition Narodni Front (NF), condemned Dodik's actions as “shameful,” noting that he pardoned individuals from his party, the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), who abused their official positions and caused millions in damages to Banja Luka and the RS healthcare system, as well as individuals prone to violence.

Trivic criticized Dodik’s pardons as an invitation for criminals to continue stealing and exploiting the public, questioning the purpose of courts if Dodik is there to pardon them.