A Bosnian court on Sunday ordered that the president of the country’s autonomous Muslim-Croat federation and four other officials be detained for a month after prosecutors said they took bribes to arrange pardons for convicts, Reuters reports.
Federation President Zivko Budimir was arrested on Friday along with 19 others in the most high-profile anti-corruption drive in Bosnia since independence more than two decades ago.
In handing out the month-long detentions, the court said it believed that both Budimir and his co-accused aide Petar Barisic might try to flee the country because they held Croatian passports, a court spokeswoman said.
She added that the three other officials were being held because the court was concerned they could obstruct the investigation and influence accomplices and witnesses.
Lawyers for the accused said they would appeal against Sunday’s ruling.
