Republika Srpska public funds paid to American-Israeli lawyer linked to conservative circles, disclosures show

The foreign agent disclosures filed by the firm Zell & Associates International Advocates, which was hired by RS authorities to conduct lobbying activities, disclose that Eugene Kontorovich received five payments totaling $65,000 between August and December 2025. The compensation was remitted for consulting services conducted outside the US on behalf of RS.

Kontorovich, a professor at George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School, was until May 2026 a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a prominent conservative think tank. He has publicly supported former RS President Milorad Dodik, criticizing Bosnia and Herzegovina's institutions and questioning the role of the High Representative. Detektor reached out to Kontorovich via email and LinkedIn, but he did not respond to requests for comment.

The filings further indicate that Zell & Associates organized and coordinated a visit by RS officials to Israel in late January 2026. During the trip, Dodik met in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu subsequently congratulated Dodik and his Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) party on their electoral victory in a post on X.

The founder of Zell & Associates, American-Israeli lawyer Marc Zell, has also publicly echoed Dodik's political positions. In an October 2025 post on X, Zell criticized US democracy grants in the region and accused Bosnia and Herzegovina's government of trying to suppress the entity. Zell & Associates did not respond to inquiries prior to publication.

In response to queries regarding contract values, consulting scope, and the travel costs for the January 2026 trip, the RS Government stated that all contracts with international consulting firms are classified under national security data protection laws. The government maintained that it collaborates with international legal and expert teams to formulate legal, economic, and diplomatic strategies aligned with its constitutional position.

Economic analyst Svetlana Cenic noted that while US registration rules bring some transparency to lobbying contracts, domestic budget controls remain absent. She warned that public funds are being expended without clear accountability regarding what citizens receive in return.

The Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina recently prohibited all payments from the RS budget under a consulting contract signed with Dickens & Madson Canada Inc., alongside any lobbying expenditures aimed at objectives contrary to the country's constitution.

Communications expert Mladen Bubonjic remarked that while lobbying grants access to certain administrative circles, it serves primarily internal political purposes by projecting international influence. Political analyst Tanja Topic added that RS has long cultivated ties with Israeli networks and Hungarian leadership to open political doors within the US administration, Detektor wrote.