BUDIMIR: EXTRA-CONSTITUTIONAL COURT OF BiH IS POLITICALLY PERSECUTING REPUBLIKA SRPSKA PRESIDENT

BANJA LUKA, JUNE 12 /SRNA/ - The Minister of Scientific and Technological Development and Higher Education of Republika Srpska Željko Budimir stated today that nothing logical can be expected from the extra-constitutional Court of BiH, since its ruling demonstrates the political persecution of Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik.

"We could not have expected anything logical from the extra-constitutional Court of BiH, because this is about the political persecution of the President of Republika Srpska. This is not about an individual, but about an institution of Republika Srpska that must be protected," Budimir told reporters in Banja Luka.

He says that the SNSD leads the government in Republika Srpska and is defending the position of its institutions.

"If we don't do that, future generations won't be able to stay here, because we will lose our status as a constituent people," Budimir added.

Goran Bubić, the attorney for the President of Republika Srpska, stated that the defense today requested the recusal of the presiding judge and a member of the Appeals Chamber, Vesna Jesenković and Hilmo Vučinić, because they had previously taken part in a case against President Milorad Dodik.

Due to that request, the session of the Appeals Chamber of the extra-constitutional Court of BiH has been postponed to 16:00.

Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik has been sentenced in the first instance by the extra-constitutional Court of BiH to one year in prison and six years of political ban for "disrespecting the decisions" of Christian Schmidt, while the acting director of the Official Gazette of Srpska Miloš Lukić was acquitted of charges.