Mamić is again a free man, but he could be arrested if he leaves Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Croatian football boss Zdravko Mamić, who was arrested yesterday in Bosnia and Herzegovina, appeared at a court in Sarajevo this morning. Two and a half hours later, the court announced a decision that he cannot be extradited to Croatia since he also has the citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina, reports Index.hr on June 15, 2018.
The morning hearing was very short. Mamić was asked whether he had the citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina and whether he wanted to be extradited to Croatia. “I am a proud citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina and I do not want to be extradited to Croatia. I do not believe in its judiciary, they have violated all my rights,” said Mamić at the court, according to Al Jazeera Balkans.
Shortly after noon, Mamić left the court building and gave a statement to the press. “Does a state operate on the basis of the constitution and the law? Imagine if your child’s brain tumour was operated on by a gynaecologist or a butcher? The State Attorney Office in Croatia has broken all the laws which exist and that will be proven at the human rights court,” Mamić told reporters, adding that he would now go to Medjugorje in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he fled last week, before a court in Croatia sentenced him to six and a half years in prison. “I have not received a single positive court decision, but my lawyers and experts say that I am not guilty,” said Mamić.
His lawyer said that, in accordance with agreements between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mamić cannot be extradited to Croatia. “He is a free citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” he added.
According to Al Jazeera Balkans, Mamić did not present his citizenship certificate at the court today. Instead, he provided a document issued by the police in Tomislavgrad with his Bosnian personal identification number.
Zdravko Mamić, who is officially an advisor to Dinamo Zagreb football club, was sentenced to six and a half years in prison last week because he damaged Dinamo and the Croatian budget for over a hundred million kuna. One day before the verdict was issued, he fled to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Osijek court issued an international arrest warrant for Mamić, after which the Republic of Croatia requested from Bosnia and Herzegovina to extradite Mamić. The case involved the transfers of Dinamo Zagreb’s players abroad, including Luka Modrić and Dejan Lovren.
If he wants to avoid the arrest, Mamić must not leave the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. If the Croatian court’s verdict against Mamić is confirmed by the Supreme Court, it is expected that Mamić will eventually serve his sentence in a Bosnian prison.
