Plenković's criteria: Croatia a safe haven for criminals and Vedran Puljić's killer, while pressuring Greece!

By: Amina Čorbo-Zećo

It's nearing 14 years since Vedran Puljić, a fan of Sarajevo Football Club, was murdered on the streets of Široki Brijeg. No one has yet been held accountable for his murder, which occurred on October 4, 2009, and it is devastating that the killer is still free today.

It is impossible to forget this story, to let it go, especially today when Croatia, led by Andrej Plenković, is trying by all possible and impossible means to get fans who caused major disturbances out of Greece, and while the killer of a young Greek might be hiding among them.

Plenković stated that the Croatian government most strongly condemns hooliganism and fan violence, which represents the negation of sport and causes damage to Croatian football and Croatia's reputation.

How beautifully and hypocritically said, because we will remind you that at the beginning of last year, the County Court in Split definitively acquitted Oliver Knezović of Puljić's murder and sentenced him to four years in prison for causing general danger.

Croatia did not shy away from taking over this case and being lenient towards Knezović, because apparently, they don't mind hooliganism when it affects Bosnia and Herzegovina. Plenković is not commenting, let alone Zoran Milanović, when UZP (Unnecessary War Effort) is celebrated and war crimes are glorified across stadiums within territory controlled by HDZ.

Dual citizenship provides all sorts of benefits to criminals, war criminals, and suspects of the most serious crimes. Fleeing to Croatia or vice versa seems like paradise for those who evade the hand of justice, if it even exists in these regions.

Dual citizenships are a political instrument for winning elections, and extradition agreements often do not hold!

Thus, Lejla Fazlagić-Pašić, against whom an indictment for organized crime, abuse of office, money laundering, document forgery, and fraud has been confirmed in Sarajevo, and who has been on the run in Croatia for several years, lives peacefully while the BiH judiciary is looking for her.

Among the prominent fugitives, who have been in the media for years, is the former member of the Presidency of BiH, Ante Jelavić, who, after being sentenced to ten years in prison for crimes in Hercegovačka banka, found refuge in Croatia.

Following a final verdict by the Supreme Court of FBiH, by which he was sentenced to 4 and a half years in prison for the seizure of the Mostar hotel 'Ero', Ivan Bender, a former high-ranking official of HDZ BiH, also took refuge in Zagreb.

Due to the Hercegovačka banka affair, the extradition of former parliamentary representative, General Ljubo Ćesić Rojs, was also discussed in early 2004. Years ago, Croatia refused to extradite HVO General Ivan Andabak to Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of the suspects in the assassination attempt on the Deputy Federal Minister of Internal Affairs, Jozo Leutar.

Željko Raguž also fled to Croatia after being charged by BiH authorities with the robbery of SAB banka, tax evasion, and abuse of office.

Ivan Azinović, a former employee of the Federal Ministry of Defense, and General Ivan Medić, also suspects in the Hercegovačka banka case, were also hiding in Croatia.

Zlatan Mijo Jelić, commander of the MUP of the so-called Croatian Republic of Herceg-Bosna, has been evading the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina for years, which has filed an indictment for war crimes, confirmed by the BiH Court.

Jelić is hiding from BiH authorities in Croatia, which has taken over the investigation against him for war crimes committed against Bosniaks in Mostar in 1993.

We remind you that after the trial began at the County Court in Mostar, Boško Boko Previšić, the administrator of the Gabela camp, as well as Romeo Blažević, convicted of war crimes in Mostar, also took refuge in the neighboring country. Miroslav Anić Firga, suspected of leading the Maturice unit with Dominik Ilijašević Coma in the criminal campaign in Stupni Do, also settled in Split.

On the list that has been circulating in the Council of Ministers of BiH since 2009 are perpetrators of serious criminal offenses who walk freely in Croatia: Krunoslav Bonić, Mato Tomić, Josip Topić, Albert Topić, and Josip Bikić, for whom arrest warrants have been issued for war crimes committed against civilians in BiH, then Darko Drmač, who is wanted for murder and serious robbery cases, and Mijo Šola and Velimir Galir, who are charged with attempted murder.
It is almost impossible to list all cases of defection, while Croatia claims to be our friend and helper on our path to the European Union.

At the same time, they do not provide any concrete examples of such help. If they mean the BiH Election Law and the fact that they lobbied Christian Schmidt for changes that have solidified BiH's national divisions, then they are anything but friends to us!

Because with such an Election Law, BiH cannot move even a meter closer to the EU, nor with friends like Croatia!