Dodik's lawyer files amended lawsuit against US administration over sanctions

Milorad Dodik's legal team has filed an amended lawsuit in a Florida court against the U.S. administration, challenging sanctions previously imposed on the leader of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) and his associates.

The amended suit, submitted after the deadline for responding to the U.S. administration's request to dismiss the original complaint, reportedly removes political narratives. These included claims of political revenge by the Biden administration due to Dodik's support for Donald Trump, and accusations of an "attack on Christianity" in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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The expanded sanctions are invalid because Biden, due to his poor health at the end of his term, allegedly did not sign them personally nor did he know what he was signing, but associates did it on his behalf.

The legal strategy now centers on U.S. constitutional law, specifically leveraging the "Autopen" affair. Dodik's team alleges that expanded sanctions are invalid because then-President Biden, due to his poor health near the end of his term, did not personally sign them. They claim associates acted on his behalf.

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The lawsuit is now completely 'cleansed' of politics and has been moved to the field of American constitutional law.

This approach directly references Donald Trump's actions from the previous year, including an investigation into the alleged misuse of the presidential mechanical signature and the declaration of documents signed with it as invalid. Dodik's legal team aims to use these decisions to invalidate the Biden-era sanctions.

The lawsuit seeks a permanent injunction ordering the U.S. government to withdraw and formally revoke Biden's Executive Order 14140. It also requests the Treasury Department (OFAC) to permanently remove any mention of Dodik and others from U.S. "blacklists."

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The main commercial databases for checking compliance with sanctions still flag the plaintiffs. As of the date of filing this document, the plaintiffs are still flagged in these databases.

Despite the formal removal of sanctions, Dodik's lawyer argues that he and others continue to suffer consequences. They claim that major commercial compliance databases still flag them, and large U.S. financial institutions may refuse to reopen accounts or process transactions, citing their past status on the SDN list and ongoing compliance risks.

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These institutions will cite their previous status on the SDN list and the permanent compliance risk as the basis for continued refusal, regardless of formal removal from the list.