Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, who was designated by the United States on January 5, 2022 for being responsible for or complicit in violations of the Dayton Peace Agreement and for corruption was also sanctioned by US authorities in 2017 for violation peace agreement has turned the country into ‘Dodik Enterprise’ thus continuing rampant corruption and loot of public wealth.
According to statement issued by the US Department of the Treasury, the sanctions, involving asset freezes and visa bans, follow Dodik’s threat to withdraw Serbs from the Bosnian national army and other state-level institutions, potentially destroying the 1995 Dayton peace treaty and opening the way for a return to conflict.
Official statements accompanying the sanctions focus on the corruption which US officials say underpin Dodik’s political posturing.
“His divisive ethno-nationalistic rhetoric reflects his efforts to advance these political goals and distract attention from his corrupt activities”, the statement said.
It further said:
The Dayton Peace Accords (DPA), signed by the Presidents of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia in 1995, brought an end to ethnic conflict in BiH and established the present-day constitution of BiH. Treasury previously designated Dodik on January 17, 2017, pursuant to E.O. 13304, for having actively obstructed or posed a significant risk of actively obstructing the DPA.
Today’s actions build on this legacy by targeting his ongoing destabilizing activity with respect to the DPA, as well as his abuse of his official position to engage in widespread corruption, which undermines state institutions in BiH.
Dodik has also openly called for, and has taken action toward, the unilateral transfer of state competencies from the BiH government to the Republika Srpska (RS), one of two entities that comprise BiH along with the Brcko District. Dodik has also publicly opposed the internationally appointed High Representative for BiH and the composition of the BiH Constitutional Court. Additionally, Dodik has publicly denigrated other ethnic and religious groups within BiH, further sowing division and political gridlock. Dodik, therefore, is being designated pursuant to E.O. 14033 for being responsible for or complicit in, or having directly or indirectly engaged in, a violation of, or an act that has obstructed or threatened the implementation of, the DPA.
Dodik is also being designated pursuant to E.O. 14033 for being responsible for or complicit in, or having directly or indirectly engaged in, corruption related to the Western Balkans. Specifically, he has established a patronage network in BiH from which he and his associates benefit. As one example of his corrupt actions, Dodik has provided government contracts and monopolies in the RS directly to close business associates. With his corrupt proceeds, Dodik has engaged in bribery and additional corrupt activities to further his personal interests at the expense of citizens in the RS.
By imposing sanctions on Dodik’s adult children – Igor Dodik and Gorica Dodik, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said: Members of this [Dodik patronage] network, which include Dodik’s adult children, facilitate Dodik’s ongoing corruption in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s (BiH) RS entity, allowing him to siphon public funds from the RS and enrich himself and his family at the expense of BiH citizens and functional governance in the country.
Dodik previously served as a member of BiH’s Presidency and is widely known for openly calling for, and supporting, the unilateral transfer of state competencies from the BiH government to the RS, one of two entities that comprise BiH. Dodik has used his official BiH position and a network of personal ties and companies to accumulate personal wealth through graft, bribery, and other forms of corruption. His divisive ethno-nationalistic rhetoric reflects his efforts to advance these political goals and divert attention from his corrupt activities. Additionally, Dodik has publicly denigrated other ethnic and religious groups within BiH, further sowing division and political gridlock.
“With the financial and political support of the individuals and entities designated today, Dodik has engaged in corruption that ensures his personal financial and political stability at the expense of BiH citizens living in Republika Srpska”, said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson. “We will continue to hold accountable those whose actions contribute to the degradation and undermining of institutions in BiH and the Western Balkans, as well as the undermining of the Dayton Peace Agreement”.
It further said:
Since 2021, Dodik has increased the involvement of his son, Igor Dodik (Igor), and daughter, Gorica Dodik (Gorica), in political and business activities within the RS, causing concern that the RS was becoming more like a Dodik family business rather than a political entity of BiH. The extent of the Dodik family’s corruption has also drawn concern from nations interested in providing foreign investment funds to the RS, leading some to refrain from doing so because they believed that any financial assistance would likely go to Dodik and his family rather than RS institutions.
In a recent RS election, the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), including Dodik and Igor, conspired to bribe political officials, polling station members, and election observers in effort to corruptly win the election. Igor engaged in bribery of opposition politicians, who were offered political appointments in exchange for critical information and election observer positions at polling locations.
Dodik’s daughter, Gorica, is involved in handling political and business activities for her father, to include owning several entities that receive substantial RS government assistance at Dodik’s direction.
OFAC is designating Igor pursuant to E.O. 14033 for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, Dodik, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 14033.
OFAC is designating Gorica pursuant to E.O. 14033 for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, Dodik, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 14033.
In addition to the Dodik siblings, the US imposed sanctions on their companies: Global Liberty d.o.o. Laktaši; Agro Voće d.o.o. Laktaši; Agape Gorica Dodik i Ivana Dodik s.p. Banja Luka; and Fruit Eco d.o.o. Gradiška.
These businesses operate in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the restaurant and wholesale materials sectors and have received RS public assistance due to their control by Dodik’s family.
OFAC emphasized that Milorad Dodik had accumulated a personal fortune through graft, bribery, and other forms of corruption, using his official position in BiH and a network of personal connections and enterprises, while employing “ethno-nationalistic rhetoric” to “advance these political goals and divert attention from his corrupt activities”.
OFAC collecting information of Bangladeshi politicians
The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which has been regularly sanctioning various corrupt politicians throughout the world has been gathering information on several high-profile Bangladeshi politicians, possibly with the target of imposing sanctions under Global Magnitsky Act.
