The United States on Friday imposed sanctions against five individuals and a company that helped the president of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Serb entity, Republika Srpska (RS), Milorad Dodik, and his family enrich themselves at the expense of the people.
The US Treasury Department also announced that it has imposed sanctions against eight individuals who organized the celebration of this entity's unconstitutional day earlier this month.
The US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said in a statement that it has blacklisted Pavlo Corovic (husband of Dodik's daughter Gorica), Radmila Bojanic, Nemanja Reljin, Sinisa Dodik, and Marko Gujancic, for helping Dodik and his family enrich themselves.
For organizing the celebration of the unconstitutional day of the RS, according to Dodik's instructions, sanctions were imposed on the Minister of Internal Affairs of this entity, Sinisa Karan, Dodik's Chief of Staff, Danijelo Dragičević, the Chief of Protocol of the RS, Goran Raković, the Secretary General of the RS, Dalibor Panić, the Director of the RS Radio and Television, Dijana Milanković, the President of the RS Constitutional Court, Gerard Selman, the President of the RS Academy of Sciences and Arts, Rajko Kuzmanović, and the Chief of Staff of the President of the RS Assembly, Goran Filipović.
Republika Srpska marked its day on January 9 with a parade in the streets of Banja Luka, which the Bosnian Constitutional Court has declared unconstitutional three times.
Previously, the US Embassy in Sarajevo had called for an investigation into any violation of the law regarding the observance of the unconstitutional day.
OFAC said that it made the decision on Friday's sanctions following the January 8 executive order of US President Joe Biden, which expanded the scope of US authorities to combat activities that undermine or attempt to undermine regional peace frameworks and the rule of law in the Western Balkans.
"Today's actions highlight Dodik's continued efforts to undermine the democratic and multiethnic framework that defines modern Bosnia and Herzegovina," said the Treasury Department's acting undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Bradley T. Smith.
He added that the US, using its expanded powers, "remains committed to thwarting any efforts by Dodik and his friends to enrich themselves and destabilize the region." REL (A2 Televizion)
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