The trial of the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, has been postponed to December 6 by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This trial is due to non-implementation of the decisions of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Dodik’s trial was initially scheduled for November 22, but it was postponed after he claimed he had received an invitation for a trip to Hungary before the hearing was scheduled. The court accepted this explanation and the trial was rescheduled.
In the case of a conviction, Dodik faces a sentence ranging from six months to five years in prison, along with an automatic ban on holding the positions he currently occupies. The changes to the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina, under which Dodik will be tried, were imposed by the current High Representative Christian Schmidt on July 1. At the same time, Schmidt put out of force the laws by which the parliament of Republika Srpska tried to block the implementation of his decisions, as well as the judgment of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Both Dodik and Lukić, who will also be tried under the changes to the Criminal Code, pleaded not guilty at the preliminary hearing at the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Their defense is based on the claim that Schmidt is not a legitimately elected high representative, despite being elected according to the prescribed procedure. Therefore, they argue that he could not impose changes to the criminal code.