The Court of BiH has released a recording from today’s hearing in the case against Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik and the acting director of Službeni glasnik of Republika Srpska, Miloš Lukić, who are being prosecuted for “non-compliance with the decisions” of Christian Schmidt.
At today’s hearing, President Dodik stated that high representatives who were legally appointed never directly imposed decisions in the manner Schmidt did, whom he considers illegitimate.
Dodik emphasized that he has always consulted his advisors in his work and that he has been involved in politics for over 20 years.
“I am aware of the practice that high representatives did not make decisions overnight but rather exerted pressure on parliaments to implement them,” Dodik said.
He stressed that he is responsible for upholding the Constitution of Republika Srpska and BiH and that Srpska’s Constitution is aligned with the Constitution of BiH.
Dodik explained that he signed the decree the day before he was informed that the decision had been published in the Official Gazette of BiH.
The President of Srpska stated that his advisors had warned him that if he did not sign the decree proclaiming the law, he could face a prison sentence of up to 12 years under the Criminal Code of Republika Srpska.
“I insisted on having advisors of authority around me, people whom I had trusted completely before and still do,” Dodik said.
According to him, these advisors thoroughly explained all the details in this case, which they had also confirmed in their testimonies before the Court of BiH.
Dodik further stated that if the Council of Peoples of Republika Srpska, which had given its approval for the law, had challenged its adoption, he would not have signed the decree until the legislative process had been fully completed.
When asked by his defense attorney, Goran Bubić, Dodik affirmed that he stands by the testimony he gave on July 19, 2023.
After the hearing, Bubić reiterated that there are no arguments for a guilty verdict against Dodik and Lukić.
The closing arguments in this case are scheduled to be presented on February 19.
Source: RTRS
