After spending the night in custody, Zdravko Mamić gave testimony at a Sarajevo Court this morning.
Zdravko Mamić, once the most powerful man in Croatian football, was arrested near Medjugorje yesterday and appeared before a Sarajevo court this morning around 10 am. Zdravko’s brother Zoran Mamić reportedly came to Sarajevo for support, reports Index.hr on June 15, 2018.
The hearing was very quick and ended around 10:35. Mamić was asked questions at the hearing such as: who he is, what he does for a living, if he is a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and whether he wants to be extradited to Croatia,
“I am a proud citizen of BiH and I do not want to be extradited to Croatia. I do not believe in their judiciary system and they have violated all my rights,” Al Jazeera Balkans reported Mamić saying in court.
Mamić’s defense said he did not accept extradition to Croatia.
“The Zdravko Mamić extradition hearing is closed. The Judge of the Court in BiH, Tatjana Kosović, asked him whether he knew why he was before the Court. Mamić said that his current address was in Tomislavgrad, and the judge warned him that while the proceedings were pending before the Court, each change of address must be reported. He said that he is a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, that he holds citizenship in both states,” N1 reported.
“He also said that he was a sports manager, and his lawyer said that Mamić did not accept the voluntary extradition to Croatia because there are no legal requirements due to the fact that he is a citizen of BiH,” added the N1 reporter, adding that Mamić said he does not trust the Croatian judiciary system.
Al Jazeera Balkans reported that Mamić could not show a citizenship certificate.
“Zdravko Mamić did not have a certificate of citizenship, instead he submitted a document with his registration number issued by the Tomislavgrad MUP (Ministry of Interior). His lawyer claims that this is a valid document.”
Mamić said yesterday that he would oppose the possibility of extradition. His lawyer Zdravko Rajić said there are no conditions for extradition to Croatia.
“According to the current situation, according to the evidence in the file, there are no conditions for extradition because Mr. Mamić is a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina. I am convinced that the request will be rejected tomorrow,” Rajić said.
The court decision will be published in the next 24 hours.
