"That is nonsense. I have no contact with Jelavic and he has no reason to hire an attorney in Croatia, he is a free man here because Croatia does not extradite its citizens," Misetic told Hina.
The Sarajevo daily claims that despite previous speculation, there are reliable reports that Jelavic is not hiding in Split, where he owns a flat, but was recently seen in Zagreb.
Asked if the Croatian State Prosecutor's Office had instructed the police to take any measures against Jelavic, spokeswoman Martina Mirohodin said only that the case was within the jurisdiction of the Justice Ministry. The Justice Ministry and the Ministry of the Interior today had no comment on the case.
Ante Jelavic was sentenced to ten years in prison for the embezzlement of funds sent as aid by the Croatian government to Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Bosnia-Herzegovina issued a warrant for his arrest after he failed to appear in court for the announcement of his sentence on October 6. The media speculate that he is hiding in Croatia. The State Court of Bosnia-Herzegovina and its prosecution expect Croatia to arrest and transfer him to Bosnia if he is hiding in Croatia. The Croatian ministries of the interior and justice stated recently on several occasions that Croatia does not extradite its citizens to other countries.
The head of the department for organised crime and corruption at the Office of the Prosecutor of Bosnia-Herzegovina, John McNair, said yesterday they had no official confirmation that Jelavic was in Croatia.