Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Foreign Minister Elmedin Konaković declared tonight that the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, has “become one of the biggest criminals in this country” by signing a decree that prohibits the Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) and the Court and Prosecutor’s Office of BiH from operating in Republika Srpska.

He stated that from tonight, the BiH judicial system “is pursuing those who signed the coup d’état.”

“By signing that decree, he has committed the gravest of crimes, alongside (RS Prime Minister) Radovan Višković, (RS Parliament Speaker) Nenad Stevandić, and others,” Konaković explained to the Sarajevo-based portal Kliks.

Konaković mentioned that appeals will be filed with the Constitutional Court of BiH to examine the constitutionality of the newly adopted laws, stressing that regardless of the Constitutional Court’s decision— which will certainly uphold the constitutional order—this “does not absolve Dodik, Višković, and Stevandić of the severe criminal offenses they committed.”

He added, “It won’t be long before the judicial authorities take action.”

“The judiciary will pursue them. They will need to provide statements, or they may be brought in forcibly. If they fail to respond, arrest warrants will likely be issued. If they evade prosecution, they will find themselves in a situation unprecedented for any politician in BiH,” Konaković remarked.

Tonight, Dodik signed decrees to prohibit the operations of the Court and Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), the Investigation and Protection Agency of BiH (SIPA), and the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of BiH (HJPC) in Republika Srpska, announcing that these laws would take effect on Friday.

News