DEFENSE OF PRESIDENT OF SRPSKA REQUESTS THAT TRIAL START OVER

BANJA LUKA, JANUARY 16 /SRNA/ — The defense of Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik has requested that the Court of BiH restart the trial against him and the acting director of the "Official Gazette of Srpska," Miloš Lukić, due to the expiration of the 30-day period since the last hearing, defense attorney Goran Bubić told SRNA.

After the status conference on December 30, Bubić explained that after the 30-day period expires, and if there is no consent of the parties in the proceedings, the evidence must be presented from the beginning. At that status conference, the Court of BiH accepted the opinion of a six-member medical team from the General Hospital "Primarius Dr. Abdulah Nakaš" in Sarajevo and scheduled President Dodik's next main hearing for January 29. The President of Srpska underwent surgery on December 9 in Belgrade. The procedure, which involved the stomach and esophagus, was complicated but successful. Dodik and Lukić are being tried for "non-compliance with the decisions of Christian Schmidt."