Croatia's First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister, Radimir Cacic, who is charged with causing a fatal car accident in Hungary two years ago in which two persons were killed, said through his spokesperson on Sunday that he personally had not requested to be protected by immunity in his ongoing trial in Hungary and that he wanted to go through the proceedings like any other citizen.
"Mr Cacic said at the last hearing that the fact that he is Croatia's First Deputy Prime Minister will in no way affect his conduct in the court proceedings and that he will attend all hearings," Cacic's spokesperson Ankica Mamic said.
The Hungarian Ministry of Justice concluded on Sunday, in response to a request by a local court, that Cacic is not exempt from Hungary's penal jurisdiction.
Cacic's trial before the county court in Kaposvar was postponed in April, when Cacic said that a higher court had requested verification of his diplomatic and official status.
Cacic was president of the Croatian People's Party (HNS) at the time of the accident and became a government minister last December.
The accident in question occurred on the Nagykanisza–Budapest motorway in January 2010. Cacic hit a car in front of him which was driven by Katalin Liptak. As a result, her 81-year-old mother Imrene Antal and 60-year-old husband Gyorgy Liptak were killed, while the fourth passenger in their car, Zoltanne Hitter, survived.
Cacic said in his defence that he did not drive too fast, but that he ran into a cloud of fog before hitting the car in front.
