Bosnia and Herzegovina’s national Court has approved a request from Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik to replace his one-year prison sentence with a financial penalty.
Dodik is the President of Republika Srpska (RS), Bosnia’s Serb-majority entity, and was first convicted in relation with his implementation of laws by-passing Constitutional Court décisions in RS, despite orders from the High Representative Christian Schmidt. Dodik’s sentence of one year in prison and six years of ineligibility prompted the Central Election Commission to revoke his presidency, in line with rules that remove officials sentenced to more than six months in prison.
However, the Court accepted a request from Dodik’s defence, under provisions of the country’s criminal code, to replace the prison term with a fine set at 36,500 Bosnian marks (~€18,660 euros/~$21,780). Alongside the fine, Dodik remains barred from holding political office in RS for six years.