Former Deputy Prime Minister Damir Polancec will not start serving on August 13 a ten-month prison sentence he was given for paying lawyer Petar Miletic HRK 500,000 in state funds for an unnecessary expert study, his lawyer Anto Nobilo said on Thursday.
After being notified in late July that he must report to prison on August 13, Polancec requested the judge in charge that the sentence be postponed because his health had deteriorated. In the meantime, the judge requested additional medical records, so Polancec does not have to go to jail until the court rules on his request, said Nobilo.
"We can't speculate when the decision could be made and how long serving the sentence could be postponed," he said, adding that the medical records would be submitted in the next few days.
It is unknown to which correctional facility Polancec will be sent but he will be able to go to work and spend weekends out.
The Zagreb County Court sentenced him to 15 months' imprisonment for commissioning the study from Miletic, but the Supreme Court reduced the sentence by five months, while Miletic's sentence was reduced from 12 to eight months' imprisonment.
Polancec hopes the Constitutional Court will grant his complaint against the lawfulness of the sentence.
