Prosecutors called for jail terms for Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik and the former acting director of the entity’s Official Gazette, Milos Lukic, saying they deliberately obstructed enforcement of the High Representative's decisions.
Azem Kurtic, February 19, 2025
Milorad Dodik entering the court in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Photo: N1/F.Z.
During closing arguments at the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the trial of Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik and the former acting director of the Serb entity’s Official Gazette, Milos Lucic, prosecutors said on Wednesday that all allegations in the indictment against them had been proven and that the defendants deliberately obstructed the enforcement of decisions made by High Representative Christian Schmidt.
Prosecutor Nedim Cosic sought a prison sentence for both defendants, along with a ten-year ban on holding public office. He said the jail term should be closer to the maximum penalty, which ranges from six months to five years.
“The evidence is clear. The defendants acted with full awareness that they were obstructing the decisions of the High Representative, which is a criminal act,” Cosic said. “No one is above the law, especially not public officials.”
Dodik and Lukic’s trial began in February last year. They were accused of knowingly defying decisions issued by international overseer of the continued implementation of the peace deal that ended the Bosnian war, Schmidt, in July 2023.
Schmidt had blocked the implementation of two laws adopted by the Republika Srpska authorities – one preventing the enforcement of state-level Constitutional Court rulings in the entity, and another amending legislation on publishing official acts. Despite this, the defendants allegedly continued legislative procedures in defiance of Schmidt’s decisions.
The prosecution stated that Lukic should have refrained from committing a criminal act. They also highlighted that during a programme on the entity’s public broadcaster, Radio Television of Republika Srpska, RTRS, Lukic described how the offence was committed, adding that no one, including the High Representative, could dissuade him.
The prosecution noted that all the submitted evidence is public and so accessible to both the defendants and the public. They criticised the defence for attempting to undermine Schmidt’s legitimacy as High Representative, calling this argument a rhetorical trap.
The prosecution dismissed the credibility of defence witnesses, asserting that they were biased and sought to downplay the gravity of the alleged crime. The prosecution said the acts were committed with intent and no mitigating circumstances exist, including the fact that neither defendant has prior convictions.
They stressed the seriousness of the offence, noting that obstructing the High Representative’s decisions effectively prevented the citizens of Republika Srpska from seeking legal recourse before Bosnia’s Constitutional Court.
They accused Dodik of persistently undermining the state judiciary and of showing disregard for the court throughout the proceedings.
In his closing remarks, Dodik’s lawyer, Goran Bubic, argued for an acquittal, claiming that his client’s actions had no legal consequences.
“My client was misled by legal experts who assured him that his actions were purely political, not criminal,” Bubic stated. “This case is nothing more than an attempt to remove Dodik from political life through legal means.”
Bubic also criticised Schmidt’s decisions, claiming they were made without proper legal procedures and were intended to provoke a political reaction from Dodik. He described the case as an attempt to eliminate Dodik from political life, alleging that Schmidt’s actions did not align with the practices of previous High Representatives.
Dodik’s allies have announced a “swift reaction” in the case of a sentencing verdict, saying they would call it a “verdict against Republika Srpska,” not its president. The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has 30 days to issue a verdict following Wednesday’s closing remarks.
The trial is ongoing.
Copyright BIRN 2007