Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic announced on Saturday that Defense Minister Mario Banozic would be dismissed from his position. This decision comes after Banozic was involved in a serious car accident in Vinkovci, which left him seriously injured and resulted in the death of the other driver.
“In these circumstances, which are truly extraordinary due to this serious traffic accident, I relieved Banozic of his duties as minister of defense,” Plenkovic said. He also mentioned that he has authorized Defense Ministry State Secretary Zdravko Jakop to handle all necessary tasks in order to ensure the Ministry of Defense can continue to function normally.
Plenkovic explained that Banozic was driving his personal vehicle at the time of the accident, and extended his condolences to the family of Goran Saric, the van driver who was killed.
According to the County State Attorney’s Office in Vinkovci, the accident took place earlier on Saturday when Banozic attempted to overtake a truck and collided with a van traveling in the opposite direction.
Banozic, who also sustained serious injuries, was taken to a hospital in Osijek. Krunoslav Sego, the deputy director of KBC Osijek and head of the surgical service, stated that Banozic’s life is not in danger.
