The trial against the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, and the Acting Director of the “Official Gazette,” Miloš Lukić, will continue before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday, August 28, according to Goran Bubić, Dodik’s lawyer.
Bubić mentioned that the defense plans to hear testimony from Jelena Pajić Baštinac, the General Secretary to the President.
The hearing is scheduled to begin at 1:00 PM.
At the previous hearing on July 17, defense witness Srebrenka Golić, the President of the Council of Peoples of Republika Srpska, explained the procedure for adopting laws in the National Assembly and the Council of Peoples in connection with the Law on the Publication of Laws and Regulations of Republika Srpska and the Law on Non-Recognition of Decisions of the Constitutional Court of BiH.
The defense raised objections during the hearing, noting that the key piece of evidence, Annex 10 of the Dayton Agreement, was not read, and that without presenting this evidence, it is impossible to draw any conclusions about the validity of the indictment or to deliver any guilty verdict.
After the hearing, the defense team emphasized that the upcoming hearing on August 28 would be crucial, as it will delve into the core issue of Christian Schmidt’s actions and whether the High Representative has legislative authority and whether he was appointed in accordance with international law.
Judge Sena Uzunović, explaining why Schmidt cannot be called as a witness, read a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Council of Ministers, indicating that the circumstances under which he would be questioned are not relevant to this case.
She stated that the Dayton Agreement and the resolutions could be proven without this witness, asserting that Schmidt has diplomatic status as the High Representative, enjoys immunity as a diplomatic agent, and is not obliged to testify.
The defense team argued that the judge clumsily tried to “smooth over” the issue created by including a document from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the case file without anyone’s knowledge, which mysteriously appeared in the court records without any proper markings or addresses.
After the hearing, Dodik stated that the prosecution failed to defend the substance of the indictment, which claims he violated the decisions of the so-called High Representative by refusing to discuss the matter, which, he said, casts doubt on the process. “The fact that the Court did not accept Schmidt as a witness indicates an attempt to protect injustice,” he said.
The BiH Prosecutor’s Office completed its presentation of evidence on May 22.
The Court of BiH is conducting proceedings against the President of Republika Srpska and the Acting Director of the “Official Gazette” for “disrespecting the decisions of Christian Schmidt.”
Source: RTRS
