Government of Republika Srpska plane landed in Banja Luka: Dodik returns home, BiH police agencies do not react!

Early this morning, at 2:15 AM, a Cessna belonging to the Government of Republika Srpska landed in Banja Luka. The plane arrived from the direction of Belgrade, where it briefly paused on its flight from Israel. The Belgrade pause lasted just long enough for the fugitive from BiH justice and the President of Republika Srpska to disembark the plane and continue his journey to Bosnia and Herzegovina by road or helicopter. Thus, the President of Republika Srpska will likely return home today, before the General Secretariat of Interpol, based in Lyon, makes a final decision on the international arrest warrants for Milorad Dodik and Nenad Stevandić, which the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina ordered to be issued the day before yesterday.

And once Milorad Dodik returns to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and especially if he informs Lyon through Serbian Interpol, the chances of the General Secretariat of Interpol approving the international arrest warrant will be reduced. However, this does not mean that Interpol will refuse to issue the international arrest warrant due to other circumstances and possibilities of the President of RS undertaking "new travels".

Regardless of how the Interpol warrant story concludes, a central search remains active for Milorad Dodik. According to this search, police agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina should act, if they dared.

Today, March 28th, marks one month since the authorities of Republika Srpska adopted laws prohibiting the work of SIPA, HJPC, the Court of BiH, and the Prosecutor's Office of BiH in the territory of RS. On March 7th, the Constitutional Court of BiH made a decision temporarily suspending these laws. Due to suspicion that the leaders of RS, Milorad Dodik as president of the entity, Nenad Stevandić as president of the National Assembly of RS, and Radovan Višković as prime minister, committed the criminal offense of attack on the constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina by doing so, the Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation against them. The trio did not respond to summons, so on March 12th, an order for their apprehension was issued. However, neither the BiH Court Police nor other police agencies in BiH attempted to apprehend Dodik.

Therefore, the Court of BiH issued a central search for Dodik, which state prosecutor Dubravko Čampara kept in his drawer for six days. But even after the warrant was finally forwarded to SIPA, the MUP of RS, and the Border Police on March 20th, no police agency dared to arrest the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, who, despite the arrest warrant, traveled to Israel. While he was in Israel, the Prosecutor's Office requested the Court of BiH to issue an international arrest warrant for Milorad Dodik, stating that he was unavailable to BiH police authorities. For the warrant to take effect, it must be approved by the General Secretariat of Interpol after the Court of BiH. BiH authorities sent all necessary documents to Lyon on Thursday afternoon. But before Interpol headquarters made any decision, Dodik was on his way home. His plane, with prior approval from those countries, flew through the airspace of Greece, North Macedonia, and Bulgaria (all NATO members).

Dodik likely disembarked the plane during the stopover in Belgrade. Serbian authorities do not want to arrest him. Moreover, Serbia has requested Interpol not to approve the issuance of red warrants for Dodik and Stevandić.

However, regardless of all procedures and the Interpol warrant, the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina have an opportunity today to arrest the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, on their territory. Or at least Nenad Stevandić and Radovan Višković, whom the MUP of RS does not protect with the same intensity as the president of that entity.