Recently, a network of individuals and businesses supporting Milorad Dodik, the sanctioned president of Bosnia's Serb-run region, has faced a fresh wave of sanctions. The U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control took action by designating two individuals and seven companies that contribute to Dodik and his family's financial interests, notably his son Igor Dodik. It has been revealed that Dodik leveraged his position as president to steer government contracts towards a network of private companies under his and his son's control.
Back in 2022, Dodik was first sanctioned by the U.S. government, with allegations of engaging in corrupt activities that posed a threat to regional stability and jeopardized a peace agreement brokered by the U.S. over 25 years ago. Subsequently, in October of the same year, a set of sanctions were imposed on a group of individuals associated with Dodik.
For more than a decade, Dodik has been advocating for the separation of the Serb entity from the rest of Bosnia, receiving support from Russia. Concerns have been raised in the U.S. regarding Russia's potential efforts to destabilize Bosnia and the wider region, possibly as a diversion from its ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Brian Nelson, the Treasury's under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, emphasized the commitment to exposing the deceptive practices that allow Dodik and his family to exploit their own people for personal gain. The U.S. remains vigilant in addressing such fraudulent schemes that harm the citizens of Bosnia and threaten regional stability.
