The Ministry's Crime Investigation Department and the Zagreb Police Department, in cooperation with the State Prosecutor's Office, on Friday completed preliminary investigations during which the police had searched the flats of two Croatian citizens and found a large amount of equipment used for document forgery, as well as a large number of Croatian ID cards, passports, foils used in the forging of documents, driver's licences and photos of unidentified persons. Also discovered was a large amount of fire arms, ammunition and fuses.
The statement said there were grounds to believe that one of the suspects had forged a passport for the runaway general Ante Gotovina in 2001 at the request of two Croatian citizens.
The police pressed charges against the persons possessing the said items on suspicion of committing criminal acts of forgery, possession of items used in the forging of documents and illegal possession of weapons and explosive devices, and took them to the Zagreb County Court investigating centre.
The persons who ordered a forged passport for Gotovina were charged with aiding and abetting perpetrators after the commission of crime and with incitement to commit forgery.
During the preliminary investigations it was established beyond doubt that the Zagreb Police Department had nothing to do with the forging of the passport for Gotovina, contrary to media reports, the Ministry said.