Ashdown said in a statement that Lozancic's decision to reduce Prce's sentence from five to four years caused concern and that the entity's bodies of authority had practically annulled the sentence of the State Court of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the agreement between the Court and the Prosecutor's Office on the basis of which Prce received a much milder sentence than envisaged by law.
Ashdown recalled that Prce had pleaded guilty to charges of redirecting millions of convertible marks to be used for illegal purposes, which is punishable with a prison term of up to 15 years, and that the judge who passed the sentence dismissed as completely inappropriate any attempt to reduce the sentence.
Ashdown believes that Lozancic and the entity's justice minister, Borjana Kristo, as senior officials of the Croatian Democratic Union, had abused the law on pardon for political purposes, thus contributing to the public impression that politicians in the country are putting themselves above the law.
Ashdown requested Lozancic to explain his decision until August 19, after which he said he would decide on possible measures.