UPDATED ON:
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
06:49 Mecca time, 03:49 GMT
 
News Europe
Ministers fired over Croatia murder
The Croatian authorities believe the mafia was involved in Hodak's killing [AFP] 

The Croatian prime minister has fired his country's interior minister and justice minister as well as the police chief after the killing of a prominent lawyer's daughter.

Ivo Sanader made the announcement on Monday, hours after Ivana Hodak was shot dead in her home in Zagreb, the capital.

Police are investigating the murder and no suspect has been named, but Sanader said Hodak's shooting was a "mafia killing".

"I am going to propose to parliament that they confirm the dismissal of the interior and justice ministers [Berislav Roncevic and Ana Lovrin respectively], as well as the chief of police [Marijan Benko]," Sanader said.

Croatian law requires a parliamentary vote to approve any such decision by the prime minister, but in this instance it is likely to be a formality as the opposition has been calling for such action for a long time.

Local media have reported that Zvonimir Hodak, Ivana's father, was a lawyer for  Vladimir Zagorec, a former Croat general, who was recently extradited from Austria on charges of embezzling more than $5m.

Monday's killing was  the latest in a wave of brutal attacks in Zagreb since June. A journalist and two businessmen were targeted in three previous assaults, which police have described as attempted murders.

'Organised crime'

Sanader said his government "won't allow organised crime to make the impression that they can do whatever they want without sanctions".

"The government and all the institutions concerned will do everything to quickly find the authors of this abominable crime," he said.
  
"We are not going to give organised crime the idea that they can do what they want with impunity. We are committed to an unrelenting struggle against organised crime, against the mafia."

 Source: Agencies
 
ARTICLE TOOLS
 Email Article  Email article
 Print Article  Print article
 Send Feedback  Send feedback
 Share article  Share article