Court Commutes Milorad Dodik’s Jail Sentence to a Fine

The state court accepted a plea from Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, who was sentenced to a year in prison and given a six-year ban on holding political office, to convert his jail term to a fine of 18,660 euros.

Selma Melez, August 12, 2025

Milorad Dodik in the Republika Srpska parliament. Photo: BIRN.

The Bosnian state court on Tuesday accepted a proposal from Milorad Dodik’s defence to convert his one-year prison sentence for disobeying the decisions of the High Representative, the international overseer of the implementation of the peace deal that ended the Bosnian war, into a fine.

Dodik will now pay 36,500 Bosnian marks (around 18,660 euros) instead of serving time behind bars, as Bosnia’s criminal code allows. He is also barred from holding office as president of the country’s Serb-dominated entity Republika Srpska for six years.

After the verdict was handed down, the Central Election Commission stripped Dodik of his mandate as president of Republika Srpska. However, the Election Commission’s decision can be appealed.

Dodik described the electoral body’s ruling as “more bullshit from Sarajevo” and vowed to keep fighting. “Surrender is not an option,” he declared.

Dodik was convicted on August 1 of knowingly defying decisions issued by the High Representative, Christian Schmidt, in July 2023.

Bosnia’s international overseer had blocked implementation of two laws adopted by the Republika Srpska authorities – one preventing enforcement of state-level Constitutional Court rulings in the entity, and another amending legislation on publishing official acts.

Despite this, Dodik continued legislative procedures in defiance of Schmidt’s decisions, pushing forward his secessionist Serb agenda and seeking to undermine state-level institutions.

Copyright BIRN 2007