On July 15, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina informed Radio Free Europe (RSE) that “there is no specific deadline set for drafting a second-instance decision” concerning Milorad Dodik, the President of Republika Srpska (RS).

The Court emphasized that the Appellate Panel “prepares and issues decisions to the parties in a reasonable timeframe, which varies based on the complexity of each case.”

According to the Criminal Procedure Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), a second-instance verdict must be issued no later than 30 days following the hearing before the Appellate Chamber; otherwise, the judges must explain to the President of the Court of BiH why this was not achieved.

Dodik’s hearing occurred on June 12, where the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH proposed a harsher sentence, recommending several years of imprisonment instead of the one-year term issued in the first instance.

During that session, the Prosecutor’s Office also requested that Dodik be barred from holding office for over six years.

For the co-defendant, Miloš Lukić, the request aimed to overturn the acquittal, seek a retrial, or have the Appellate Chamber declare a guilty verdict.

On February 26, the Court of BiH rendered a first-instance verdict, sentencing Dodik to one year in prison along with a six-year prohibition from serving as President of the RS, while Lukić was acquitted of all charges.

Dodik was found guilty of defying the decisions of High Representative Christian Schmidt and signing a decree that enacted laws previously annulled by Schmidt.

These laws were intended to obstruct the enforcement of decisions made by the Constitutional Court of BiH and the High Representative within the RS, which had annulled prior laws related to the registration of state property or those concerning holidays.

Immediately following the verdict, the RS National Assembly enacted laws on February 27 that criminalize the functions of state police and judicial institutions in the region.

The Constitutional Court of BiH temporarily suspended these laws on March 7.

Subsequently, Milorad Dodik, Prime Minister Radovan Višković, and National Assembly Speaker Nenad Stevandić faced allegations of undermining the constitutional order, with an arrest warrant issued for them by the Court of BiH.

Despite the central warrant mandating all police agencies in BiH to detain them, no action has been taken, and they continue to perform their official duties as normal.

If the final verdict results in a conviction, an appeal can be made to the Constitutional Court of BiH, should the convicted parties believe their human rights were violated or that there was a breach in legal proceedings.

If that appeal is denied, further recourse is available to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

News