US imposes sanctions on adult children and associated companies of Bosnian Serb leader News
Medija centar Beograd, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
US imposes sanctions on adult children and associated companies of Bosnian Serb leader

On Friday, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned the two adult children of Bosnian Serb and pro-Russia leader Milorad Dodik and their associated business entities for their alleged involvement in his ongoing corruption.

According to the OFAC press release, companies such as Global Liberty d.o.o. Laktasi (Global Liberty), Agro Voce d.o.o. Laktasi (Agro Voce), Agape Gorica Dodik and Ivana Dodik s.p. Banja Luka (Agape) and Fruit Eco d.o.o. Gradiska (Gradiska), which are under the ownership of Igor Dodik, Gorica Dodik or a combination of both, “benefit from public assistance due to favorable treatment resulting from their connection to the Dodik family.”

Moreover, these sanctions involve restricting assets held in the US by individuals and their affiliated businesses, in addition to prohibiting any transactions with them for individuals within the US. All properties and interests associated with the designated individuals, whether situated in the US or under the control of US entities, are subject to such restrictions and are to be promptly reported to the OFAC.

In response to the sanctions, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson stated:

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. 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.

Dodik has also held a position as a member of Bosnia’s presidency and is renowned for publicly advocating the unilateral transfer of state competencies from the government of Bosnia to Republika Srpska, one of the two integral entities within the framework of Bosnia. Notably, Dodik was previously sanctioned by the US for violating the Dayton Peace Agreement that ended the conflict in 1995, alleging that his secessionist moves undermined the country’s fragile peace. The sanctions were announced in January last year and in July 2017. Dodik is facing sanctions from the UK as well.

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