At a public hearing before the Supreme Court on Wednesday, defence attorneys for former deputy prime minister Radimir Cacic who was sentenced to 22 months in jail for causing a fatal accident in Hungary three years ago, asked that the ruling by the Zagreb County Court confirming an earlier ruling by a Hungarian court in Kaposvar, be quashed or that Cacic's sentence be reduced.
Attorneys Rajko Mlinaric and Cedo Prodanovic said in the appeal that the Zagreb County Court ruling had violated regulations of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons.
According to Mlinaric, Cacic's rights guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights had been violated as he was denied access to court, given that he had not been invited to attend the sentencing hearing at the County Court. The attorney also said that that Cacic's rights from the Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons were also not respected as the court in Hungary ruled that after serving half of his sentence, namely 11 months, Cacic would be eligible for parole, but the Croatian ruling said that Cacic will be allowed to apply for an early release only after serving half the sentence.
The defence team also ask the court takes note of the fact that Cacic participated in the 1990s Homeland Defence War.
The lawyers also asked that the measure under which Cacic would not be allowed to drive a car for three years also be shortened.
Neither Cacic not representatives of the State Chief Prosecutor's Office attended today's hearing. The Chief Prosecutor's Office asked in writing that the appeal be rejected as unfounded.
Presiding Judge Drazen Tripalo said the Supreme Court's decision would be forwarded to both parties through the Zagreb County Court.
