The president of the strongest opposition party, the HDZ, said on Friday the Hungarian first-instance sentence against Croatian First Deputy Prime Minister Radimir Cacic showed what a risky move it had been by PM Zoran Milanovic to appoint him to his cabinet, because of which the government and the state were hostages to Cacic's personal situation.
"The entire government, but the state as well, have unnecessarily become hostages to Cacic's personal situation and the accident that took place almost a year before the government was formed. All the more so because it was known that there would be a trial and a sentence," said Tomislav Karamarko.
Earlier today, Cacic was given a suspended sentence of 22 months with three years' probation for causing a traffic accident with two fatalities in Hungary in 2010.
Karamarko said that, although the sentence was suspended, Cacic was found guilty and that there was no doubt that this fact would spread the unfavourable atmosphere in the activity and work of the government, which he said was having a hard time dealing with the problems it was facing.
"I expect Prime Minister Milanovic to adopt a principled decision and take off the government the mortgage that is hampering its work," he said.
