Bosniak-Croat Federation president detained on corruption charges

PanARMENIAN.Net - A Bosnian court has ordered the president of the autonomous Bosniak-Croat Federation to be detained for a month on corruption charges, BBC News reported.

Zivko Budimir was arrested on Friday along with at least 17 others.

On Sunday, April 29, prosecutors said Budimir and four other officials had taken bribes to arrange pardons for convicts. They demanded his detention in case he tried to flee the country.Lawyers for the accused said they would appeal against the ruling.

The court said it was detaining Budimir and his co-accused aide, Petar Barisic, because of the danger of flight.

Budimir's Party of Justice and Trust has accused state prosecutors of "meddling in politics". It has described his arrest as a "show of strength put on for the sake of the public".

The Bosniak-Croat Federation, together with the Republika Srpska, make up Bosnia-Herzegovina. Each has its own president, government, parliament, police and other bodies.

Bosnia was split into two autonomous regions - joined by a relatively weak central government - under a U.S.-brokered peace deal that ended the 1992-95 war.