Ante Jelavić is former Croat member of Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Croatian authorities have refused a request by authorities from Bosnia and Herzegovina to prosecute former Croat member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Ante Jelavić for organizing Croatian self-government in a part of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2001 and for dissolution of Croatian military component which allegedly jeopardized readiness of the country’s armed forces, announced on Saturday Jelavić’s lawyer Josip Muselimović, reports Index.hr on January 14, 2017.
Muselimović confirmed that the Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs had refused to act on a request received from Bosnian capital Sarajevo, because it was a political-military process. “For me, the position of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs is quite understandable, considering that the allegations relate to whether the acts of Mr. Jelavić had impact on the combat readiness of Bosnian armed forces. If that is so, then it was a purely political and military issue”, said Muselimović and explained that this was the only possible response by the Croatian authorities. “It is not normal for one country to discuss internal political, defence and military matters of another country”, said Muselimović.
He expressed his expectation that the Office of the Prosecutor of Bosnia and Herzegovina would finally give up on the prosecution of Ante Jelavić, since it was not possible to continue the proceedings in his absence. Since 2005, Jelavić has been living in Croatia.
The indictment against Jelavić and six other Croat officials in Bosnia and Herzegovina was officially filed in 2004. He is charged with organizing the Croatian self-government and with the dissolution of Croatian military component in 2001. That was the reason why Ante Jelavić was dismissed from his post of Croat member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina by high representative of international community in the country Wolfgang Petritsch, who also issued a ban on his political activities.
That is not the only legal process being carried out against Jelavić. He is involved in the case of Hercegovačka Banka, which the representatives of international community in Bosnia and Herzegovina abolished. He received a first instance verdict of nine and a half years in prison, but the verdict was subsequently annulled and a new trial should be held.
In the meantime, Ante Jelavić in 2005 moved to Croatia, where he now lives.
