The Croatian Justice Ministry's spokeswoman Vesna Dovranic told Hina today that the ministry had forwarded a request and all necessary documentation for extradition of Paravinja from Bosnia and Herzegovina where he was arrested last weekend.
Serbian Justice Ministry stated on Wednesday that it would forward by next Monday a request to Bosnia for Paravinja's extradition, reiterating that Belgrade would agree on the extradition of this convicted rapist to a country where he is charged with graver crimes.
Interpol Sarajevo informed Belgrade on Tuesday that Paravinja was arrested on 26 June on a warrant issued by a court in the eastern Bosnian municipality of Sokolac.
In 2002 Serbia sentenced him to four years and six months for rape and attempted rape. Since 2007 he has been beyond reach of Serbia's judiciary.
In 2005, the court in Sokolac, near the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo, issued a warrant for his arrest on the suspicion that three years earlier he raped a girl in the eastern part of Sarajevo.
The 42-year-old Paravinja, who holds Croatia's citizenship, admitted to killing Bilic upon his arrest in Bosnia. He is believed to have driven a tow truck on June 7 around 10 am on the Sibenik-Drnis road, moving from the direction of Split to Zagreb. Upon reaching an intersection on the Split-Drnis-Zagreb road, near a bridge over the river Cikola, he saw Antonia Bilic who was hitchhiking. He turned his truck back, stopped and picked her up. At one moment, while driving in the direction of Split, he pulled up, intending to have sex with the girl. It is believed that his plan failed and that he killed her in order to cover up his attempt. During the interrogation by Bosnian Serb police, Paravinja admitted to having strangled the girl and thrown her body into the river Krka. The Croatian police are now conducting an intensive search for the victim's body.