Zagreb, 21 February 2025 (Hina/MIA) - The leader of the Bosnian Serbs, Milorad Dodik, stated on Friday that Republika Srpska plans to introduce laws banning the operations of the Court and Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as state-level security agencies, within the entity if he is found guilty and sentenced to prison.

On Feb. 26, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina is set to deliver its verdict on Dodik and Miloš Lukić, director of the Official Gazette of Republika Srpska, who have been charged with disregarding the decisions of the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt.

If found guilty, they could face up to five years in prison and be barred from holding any positions in executive and legislative bodies or in institutions funded by the state budget.

Dodik and his close associates have been threatening "radical measures" in the event of a guilty verdict, and on Friday he clarified what these might entail.

"This means that Republika Srpska will terminate any presence of the Court and Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA), and other artificial and unconstitutional bodies at the state level, banning their operations in RS. We will also pass our own electoral law and do everything necessary to return the 83 competencies that belong to the state back to the entity," Dodik said in an interview with Serbia's Pink TV.

Similar laws were already passed by the RS parliament in July 2023, but Schmidt annulled them using his executive powers. Dodik's attempt to have them published in the Official Gazette of Republika Srpska ultimately led to his indictment and trial, whose outcome is now awaited, with no practical impact from the disputed laws.

As the verdict nears, Republika Srpska has been in a state of heightened tension for days. On Friday, Dodik gathered the leadership of his Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) in Prijedor to refine their strategy.

The head of the SNSD parliamentary group at the House of Representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sanja Vulić, warned that if Dodik is convicted, Bosnia and Herzegovina "will cease to exist as a state within 48 hours."