Asked if he expected the trial to be held in Croatia, since Zagorec's attorneys on Wednesday submitted to a Vienna court materials that have to be translated into German, in an effort to postpone the extradition of their client, Mesic answered positively.
"Considering the fact that he is a Croatian Army general and that he fought for this country, I expected him to respect the country's institutions and respond to the summons of Croatian institutions. Unfortunately, I was wrong, but since our institutions are functioning and we have a good cooperation with foreign institutions, I expect our arguments to be respected," Mesic told reporters after a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the Constitutional Court.
The Vienna District Court today postponed a decision on whether Austria will extradite Zagorec to Croatia after defence attorneys submitted new evidence, two DVDs that must be translated into German. Zagorec is wanted in Croatia for abusing office at the time he was assistant defence minister and for stealing jewels from a Defence Ministry safe worth five million US dollars.
Justice Minister Ana Lovrin said she too expected Zagorec to be tried in Croatia.