The retrial for the kidnapping of Zagorac's son started today before the Zagreb County Court with arraignment, after which Matekovic pleaded guilty to abduction charges but not to the charges of setting up an organised crime group that planed the kidnapping of children of other wealthy citizens.
The amended indictment charges controversial Hrvoje Petrac of knowing about the criminal group and of hiring the first indictee to kidnap the son of his friend Vladimir Zagorac.
Petrac, who was brought to the courtroom in handcuffs, pleaded not guilty as did the brother of the first indictee, Libero Matekovic.
Another three man accused of being part of Matekovic's group and having participated in planning the abduction, Marinko Gosuljevic, Sinisa Jezovita and Stevo Smrcek, also pleaded not guilty.
Presiding judge Ivan Turudic also presided the first trial at which all indictees were found guilty and sentenced to prison. However, given that Matekovic's brother and Hrvoje Petrac, who had been at large at the time of the trial, were sentenced in absentia, the Supreme Court ordered a retrial.
The then 17-year-old Tomislav Zagorac was kidnapped in front of the family house in Zagreb on 23 February 2004 and was released four days later after his father paid 750,000 euros, half the ransom demanded. The ransom money has not been found to date.