Slovenia has imposed sanctions on Milorad Dodik, the former president of Bosnia’s Serb Republic, banning him from entering the country over concerns about suspicious capital inflows, broadcaster N1 reported on Thursday.
The government decision, confirmed at a cabinet session the same day, follows findings by security agencies that significant sums from Republika Srpska and the wider Western Balkans had been transferred into Slovenia in recent years, N1 said. One case cited involved the alleged cash purchase of a villa with a swimming pool in the coastal town of Portoroz.
Dodik, who has already served a one-year prison sentence and is barred from public office in Bosnia for six years, has rejected the decision of the country’s Central Election Commission to strip him of his mandate. He has vowed to call a referendum on the issue, a move authorities in Sarajevo say would be unconstitutional.
“Respecting the independence of the judiciary is essential, and that will guide our actions in the future,” Slovenia’s Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon said earlier.
The cabinet first discussed sanctions two weeks ago but requested additional documentation before adopting the measure.
Germany and Austria sanctioned Dodik and other senior Bosnian Serb officials in April, accusing them of undermining Bosnia and Herzegovina’s constitutional order. The United States placed Dodik under sanctions in 2022, saying he threatened the Dayton peace accords.