The Croatian defense minister was dismissed and faces up to 15 years in prison

On Saturday, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković dismissed Defense Minister Mario Banožić, who was involved in a fatal traffic accident near the town of Vinkovci in the east of the country. TASR informs about this with reference to the AFP agency and the Večernji.hr server.

Banožič himself suffered serious injuries in the accident that took place early on Saturday morning at the exit from Vinkovec. According to Croatian media, he was on his way to hunt and was overtaking a truck in poor visibility when he collided head-on with a smaller van in the opposite direction, whose 40-year-old driver did not survive the accident.

Banožić was hospitalized in a hospital in Osijek with chest and head bruises and a broken leg, but he is conscious and out of danger.

“You have heard about the circumstances of the accident… We express our sincere condolences to the survivors of the victims and concerns regarding the condition of the minister, who is hospitalized with serious injuries,” Prime Minister Plenković said at a press conference on Saturday.

He faces 15 years in prison

“I relieved Minister Banožić of the position of Minister of Defense,” he added, adding that he had appointed State Secretary Zdravko Jakop to lead this department.

A few hours after the accident, the experts came to the conclusion that the 44-year-old driver of the car, whom they did not specifically name, was responsible for it, but it is Banožić, writes Večernji.

It was not yet immediately known what speed Banožić was driving at the time of the accident. Ex-ministers also took blood and urine samples, which were sent for expertise. According to Croatian media, he faces a prison sentence of one to 15 years for causing a traffic accident resulting in death.