Milorad Dodik threatens radical measures
The President of the Republic of Srpska, Milorad Dodik, confirmed that he will not attend his trial on Wednesday for the indictment regarding non-compliance with the decisions of the High Representative of the international community, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.
Speculation that Dodik would not attend the verdict had earlier surfaced, as his lawyer had left open this option, and now the official confirmation has come.
"I have made a decision. I will not go and I don’t have to go. No one is asking me to go," said Dodik.
He also called on his supporters, who regularly gathered in front of the Court of BiH during the judicial process, not to go to Sarajevo on Wednesday. Instead, he invited them to Banja Luka for a rally related to this issue. He and his associates are threatening radical measures in case of a conviction.
Prosecutor Nedim Qosić requested in the last session that Dodik and the Director of the Official Gazette of the RS, Miloš Lukić, be declared guilty and sentenced to imprisonment near the maximum penalty allowed by law, which could be up to five years.
He also requested that Dodik, as well as Lukić, be banned from holding positions in the executive or legislative bodies for a ten-year period, which would effectively send the current president of the Republic of Srpska into political retirement, as he would no longer be able to run for office.
Dodik and his close associates have been threatening "radical measures" if the decision is guilty, but he only clarified what exactly that might mean.
"This means that the Republic of Srpska will cancel any presence of the court and prosecutor of the Office (BiH), the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA), and other artificial and extra-constitutional bodies imposed at the level of BiH and stop their work on the territory."
