Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik will be barred from holding any public office for six years if his recent conviction becomes final, according to a detailed explanation issued by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina on Saturday.
The court sentenced Dodik, president of Bosnia’s Serb-majority entity Republika Srpska, to one year in prison in a first-instance verdict for obstructing the enforcement of decisions by the international High Representative. In addition to the prison sentence, the court imposed a six-year security measure banning him from holding the office of president of Republika Srpska.
While the measure formally refers to the presidency, legal experts have debated whether the restriction applies to all political positions. The court’s clarification now indicates that the consequences of the conviction—if confirmed by a higher court—would automatically prevent Dodik from assuming any political function during the six-year period.
In its ruling, the court emphasized that legal consequences of a conviction are not criminal sanctions and therefore are not pronounced in the verdict itself but take effect automatically under the law.
“Legal consequences of a conviction are not criminal penalties. They take effect ex lege—by the force of law—not by court decision,” the ruling stated, citing Article 121 of Bosnia’s Criminal Code.
According to that article, a conviction resulting in a prison sentence of up to one year is erased from the criminal record after five years—provided the offender does not commit another crime. However, the law also stipulates that if a security measure, such as a ban from public office, is in place, the conviction remains recorded until the measure expires.
This means that, barring a successful appeal or sentence reduction, Dodik will be unable to hold any public office until the end of the six-year ban.
Prominent legal expert and member of the Republika Srpska Council of Peoples, Dževad Mahmutović, previously told Klix.ba that the security measure effectively blocks Dodik from returning to public office during that period.
“The sentence can only be removed from the record once the security measure ends. In this case, that’s six years,” Mahmutović said.
The ruling is not yet final and remains subject to appeal.
