In 2012 after a court in Kaposvar handed down a final ruling, sentencing him to 22 months' imprisonment for causing a fatal traffic accident in Hungary in 2010, Cacic stepped down as Croatian deputy prime minister and remained at the helm of the HNS.

This parliamentary party is to hold its intra-party election convention in March.

Asked about the possibility of Cacic returning to the government, Culture Minister Andrea Zlatar of the HNS said today that this always depended on the context.

"Laws and penalties exist so that anyone who makes a mistake in any form, should serve their term and pay their debt to society. After that they should be able to participate anywhere on an equal footing, but I cannot foretell political circumstances," Zlatar Violic said when asked by the press about the latest developments in her party.

She said that in her opinion those serving prison terms should temporarily abstain from public life.

After Cacic requested that he serve his prison term in Croatia, the relevant court file containing the final ruling recently arrived at Zagreb County Court from Hungary. Under the Hungarian ruling, Cacic must serve at least half of the prison sentence.

The Zagreb County Court panel of judges cannot increase the punishment but it can reduce it or replace it with a suspended sentence. Since Hungary has granted only preliminary and not full consent for Cacic to serve the sentence in Croatia, it will have the final say, meaning that it can withdraw its consent if it is unhappy with the Zagreb court's decision, in which case Cacic would have to serve the sentence in Hungary.

Zagreb County Court then confirmed the prison sentence of 22 months for the former deputy prime minister. After deliberating in chambers, a panel of Zagreb County Court judges reached a verdict sentencing Radimir Cacic to a year and nine months in prison. They also decided that he would be eligible for an early release after serving at least half the sentence,

Cacic said he would appeal the Zagreb court's decision.