BANJA LUKA – Just days ahead of the upcoming presidential elections in BiH’s entity, Republika Srpska, scheduled for 23 November, the political scene in Banja Luka has been shaken by a cocaine scandal.
The controversy erupted after a video surfaced on Wednesday showing Vlado Đajić, one of the key figures in Milorad Dodik’s Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), discussing the purchase and sale of drugs. Politicians from across the spectrum quickly reacted with sharp accusations.
In the video, Đajić, also Director of the University Clinical Centre (UKC) of Republika Srpska, and an unidentified man appear to negotiate a drug transaction, while the bag of white powder sits on the table in front of them.
“What about this?” the man asks Đajić. He replies: “Why did you take so much? Are you crazy?”. The conversation also references the intervention police, individuals waiting outside the hospital, and a sum of 40,000 convertible marks (around 20,000 euros).
Following the video’s release, Đajić denied any wrongdoing, claiming he had been blackmailed for the last ten months.
“This is an old, edited video, used in an attempt to blackmail me. For years, I have faced pressure and threats, from tampered car wheels to vehicle damage. This is a continuation of that pressure”, Đajić said.
He added that the unknown man is a criminal who planted the cocaine bag, and that he reported the matter to authorities nine months ago.
SNSD President Milorad Dodik did not believe in Đajić’s explanation, and within hours, he removed Đajić from his position as president of the party’s Banja Luka branch.
“Like everyone else, I saw the video this morning in which Vlado Đajić discusses a drug-related situation. Such behaviour is absolutely unacceptable for me as SNSD President. SNSD can not and will not tolerate any connection to crime, particularly drugs”, Dodik wrote on X.
Shortly after Dodik’s statement, Đajić was also dismissed as director of the UKC.
However, this did not prevent him from appearing just hours later at an SNSD pre-election rally in Banja Luka. A photo posted on the SNSD Banja Luka Facebook page shows Đajić standing arm-in-arm with SNSD presidential candidate Siniša Karan.
Banja Luka branch of SNSD and its newly appointed president, Goran Maričić, addressed the controversy, questioning the timing and motives behind the video’s release.
“I believe the campaign is what motivated the actors to release such a video at this moment”, Maričić said, adding that he had worked closely with Đajić and had never observed any links to drugs.
Stanivuković: Đajić planned to plant drugs on me
Banja Luka Mayor and leader of the “Sigurna Srpska” movement Draško Stanivuković filed a criminal complaint against Đajić.
Stanivuković claims that Đajić had planned to plant drugs either him or Nebojša Drinić, Secretary-General of the Stanivuković’s Party of Democratic Progress (PDP). He said he has evidence, including the video and “3–4 further instalments of Đajić,” which he intends to release in due course.
According to Draško Stanivuković, the drugs were to be planted by a woman who had recently contacted them and a man also close to them.
He described enduring harassment during this period, often travelling in a convoy with friends to alert each other if stopped by the intervention police. He also demanded that the Republika Srpska Ministry of Interior present the complaint filed ten months ago and questioned why Đajić had not been detained.
Speculation is rife over the video’s origin. Some suggest it was leaked by the opposition to damage SNSD’s ratings, while others believe it came from within SNSD to remove Đajić from the Banja Luka party leadership.
Opposition politician Nebojša Vukanović claimed that Milorad Dodik and his son Igor orchestrated Đajić’s removal through intermediaries. He argued that the rapid response indicates the operation was premeditated and organised.
“The lightning-fast tweet and Dodik’s statement dismissing Đajić from all positions, citing alleged drug involvement as the reason, confirms who orchestrated the release of the video and the operation to remove Đajić,” Vukanović said.
