One reason for his detention was his possible tampering with witnesses, which meant that Glavas, who was taken into custody on 26 October, could be released after month-long detention during which witnesses could be questioned in pre-trial proceedings regarding war crimes committed in Osijek in late 1991.
The other reason why the prosecution requested his detention was the gravity of the crimes in question. The judge who is conducting the investigation into Glavas and Krunoslav Fehir on suspicion that they committed war crimes against local Serbs in the eastern city of Osijek in 1991, granted the prosecution's request three days ago.
After a panel of judges of the Zagreb County Court on Friday quashed an appeal by Glavas's defence team regarding the issue of the gravity of crime, the decision became final and the suspect can no longer appeal it, the spokesman for the Zagreb County Court, Kresimir Devcic, said.
"Further detention of Glavas in custody now depends on a decision by the Croatian Parliament," the court spokesman said, adding that he could not speculate about the outcome of a parliamentary debate and vote on the matter.
Today's decision of the panel of judges will not be sent to the national parliament as it did not ask for it. According to the spokesman's explanation, the parliament will decide on further moves on the basis of the request presented by the Office of the State Prosecutor for this case.
Earlier on Friday, the Sabor decided to postpone the vote on reports by the Credentials and Privileges Commission to strip Glavas of immunity, as the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) wanted to hold additional intra-party consultations. According to some unofficial sources, the Sabor is likely to vote on the issue next week.
The Commission asked the parliament to okay stripping Glavas of immunity and approving his detention in custody also on the basis of the gravity of the crimes committed.
Independent member of parliament Glavas, suspected of 1991 war crimes in Osijek, has been in detention in Zagreb since 26 October this year after a Zagreb County Court investigating judge made a ruling to that effect.
Also on 26 October, the parliamentary Credentials and Privileges Commission granted a repeated request by the Zagreb County Court to strip Glavas of immunity so that he could be remanded in custody due to possible witness tampering in the investigation launched against him and Fehir.
The Commission also proposed that he be stripped of immunity so that he could be held in custody due to the gravity of the crimes committed, which seems to be a contentious issue.
This Wednesday Sabor Speaker Vladimir Seks, who is also a high-ranking HDZ official, said that his party would not support the decision by the Credentials and Privileges Commission approving Glavas's detention on the grounds of the gravity of the crime he is suspected of, but it would only support his detention on the grounds that he might tamper with witnesses.
Glavas has been on hunger strike for 20 days, which is why he has been admitted to the prison hospital.
Also on Friday, investigating judge Zdenko Posavec, who is in charge of the probe, questioned two witnesses - Josip Kelemen and Ivica Spiranec - the last of the four witnesses whom Glavas might have influenced according to the prosecution.
The defence team believes that after the hearing of Spiranac, their client should be released from custody and that the panel of judges set a precedent when it quashed Glavas's appeal changing the ruling of the investigating judge to the detriment of the suspect who appealed.