The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina today held the final hearing in the trial of Milorad Dodik, President of Republika Srpska, and Milos Lukic, director of the entity’s Official Gazette.

Supporters of Dodik, along with certain Republika Srpska officials, began gathering outside the court almost two hours before the session commenced.

The prosecution was the first to present its closing arguments, with Prosecutor Nedim Cosic stating that the prosecution’s final remarks would be submitted in written form, while parts would also be delivered orally.

“The decision of the High Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina came into effect on 1 July 2023. The Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina has established that the defendants failed to comply with this decision. The first defendant continued his actions and deliberately disregarded the decision of the High Representative,” Cosic stated.

He further added, “Dodik acted knowingly, regardless of the actions of the High Representative. He has openly acknowledged that he did not respect the decision, arguing that the High Representative ‘does not exist’ in his view.”

The prosecution asserted that all evidence in the case had been publicly accessible to all citizens.

“The defense’s argument that Dodik was unaware of the implications is unfounded. The entire defence strategy was based on assumptions. Additionally, Sinisa Karan was a biased witness. His testimony changed following the intervention of the defence,” Cosic noted.

The prosecution further argued that no mitigating circumstances should be considered in the court’s verdict.

“There are no mitigating factors given the level of awareness and the official positions held by the defendants. They committed this criminal offence with direct intent. The behaviour of the first defendant before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina demonstrated a high degree of disrespect for judicial institutions. His attitude towards the presiding judge was degrading, and he failed to comply with the court’s orders,” the prosecution stated.

Dodik and Lukic are charged with failing to comply with the decisions of High Representative Christian Schmidt, offences that carry potential prison sentences of up to five years, as well as a ban on political activity.

Dodik is specifically accused of signing presidential decrees that declared valid two unconstitutional laws of Republika Srpska, which Schmidt had previously annulled. Lukic, as the director of the Official Gazette of Republika Srpska, is charged with publishing these decrees and laws, which sought to prevent the enforcement of decisions by both the High Representative and the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina within the entity.