Christian Schmidt’s latest display of unilateralism has triggered a firm and unified response from Republika Srpska. Today, he announced two new imposed decisions—one to allocate BAM 120 million from the unified account of the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina, specifically from Republika Srpska’s share, to pay off debt to the Slovenian company Viadukt, and another ordering that funds for new electoral technology be provided from the Central Bank’s profit. Republika Srpska’s response: the decisions are unacceptable. Investigations and lawsuits against both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Schmidt are forthcoming.
President Milorad Dodik announced that he would issue a permanent order to the Ministry of the Interior of Republika Srpska to investigate Christian Schmidt—both during and after his stay in BiH—as well as Branislav Borenović from the PDP party, due to alleged connections to the Viadukt scandal.
“Schmidt has no legitimacy. He was not appointed according to procedure, and even if he were, he holds no Bonn powers and cannot impose decisions. And yet he does. Again, at Republika Srpska’s expense. This must end. Viadukt is grand theft—and Schmidt wants to profit from it,” warned Dodik.
“We will sue Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since Schmidt has protected himself from prosecution, we are looking for legal means to sue him in Germany for everything he has done here. To the EU, we say: if you want normalization and a European path, Schmidt’s decisions—which undermine the constitutional and legal order of Republika Srpska and BiH—must be revoked,” Dodik added.
Prime Minister Radovan Višković emphasized that without Brussels’ silent consent, these actions would not be happening. He noted that Schmidt has shifted from political interventions to economic ones. The Government of Republika Srpska has already held a session, adopted conclusions, and warned of Schmidt’s illegitimate actions—announcing legal measures in response.
“We have requested that RS representatives in BiH institutions use all legal means to challenge the decisions, while affected enterprises—now deprived of funds—should initiate legal proceedings,” Višković stated.
The government also calls for an international investigation into Schmidt’s actions. Dodik proposed investigations into how the concession to Viadukt was granted, who voted for it in the assembly, and how Viadukt came to own 99% of the company in question.
Finance Minister Srđan Amidžić pointedly asked Schmidt and Borenović:
“What’s the interest in paying Viadukt through a suspicious account in the Channel Islands?”
Amidžić stated that RS had already offered a budgetary solution for the issue, but “the colleagues with a guardian” refused it.
“Excise reserves are our money—who has the right to spend our funds?” he asked.
Željka Cvijanović, Serb member of the BiH Presidency, said the Viadukt issue and budget story were artificially created by politicians from the Federation to draw Schmidt into the institutional framework of BiH—thereby destroying the Dayton Agreement, the Constitution, and democracy.
“It’s unclear how an EU citizen—even if legally authorized—can demand that funds be sent to an account in a country the EU itself classifies as a third country,” Cvijanović pointed out.
She criticized the EU’s silence while Schmidt—a non-elected diplomat—is allocating funds from Central Bank profits in a country with its own electoral law. Republika Srpska, she noted, went into debt to own 42% of that same Central Bank—meaning 42% of the profit also belongs to it.
“The system being pushed here was abandoned in Germany after its first trial run. The equipment may have even been transferred here,” Dodik added.
Višković claimed they have information that the equipment has been in BiH for over a year and that Schmidt’s decision merely legalizes a shady deal.
“The Bank’s profits can be used for this, but not for Viadukt? That’s enough to raise suspicions,” Višković said.
Meanwhile, some federal media speculated that U.S. diplomats in BiH aimed to orchestrate a leadership change in the SNSD—replacing Dodik with Cvijanović.
Cvijanović responded briefly:
“Human imagination knows no bounds. Milorad Dodik is not going anywhere—and no one else is coming.”
Dodik joked:
“Why didn’t you tell me she was coming? I find these things out along the way.”
Source: RTRS
