Petrac's Zagreb-based lawyer Marijan Pedisic told Hina on Tuesday that the Greek lawyer Aleksis Kougias had appealed against the local court's decision.
Pedisic also said that a hearing on Croatia's request for the extradition of Petrac would be held on Corfu in about 15 days. Athens received Croatia's request on Monday.
Over the weekend the Greek judicial authorities also received a ruling of the Zagreb County Court which sentenced Petrac to six years in jail after it found him guilty of masterminding the abduction of a Croatian general's teenage son in 2004. The ruling of this court serves as a basis for the request for the extradition of Petrac, who was on the run for about a year and a half.
Lawyer Pedisic explains that the defence team will try to contest the arguments of Croatia's authorities and prove that Petrac's prosecution in Croatia has been politically motivated. According to the lawyer, the entire process can take several months.
Greek lawyer Kougias has already announced the possibility of asking that his client be granted political asylum in Greece.
Last Wednesday, Petrac was arrested in the Greek port while he was on a ferry bound for the Italian city of Ancona. His apprehension was carried out in compliance with an international arrest warrant.
Petrac is believed to be one of key 'financiers' of the escape of the fugitive general Ante Gotovina, who is wanted by the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague. Gotovina has been on the run since July 2001 when the tribunal issued an indictment against him.