A former Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) minister, Petar Cobankovic, on Thursday agreed to a plea bargain with the anti-corruption watchdog (USKOK) in the "Planinska" scandal and the court ruled that a one year jail sentence be exchanged for community service.
USKOK's prosecutor Tonci Petkovic said that Cobankovic had been proclaimed guilty for abuse of office and authority.
"He will do two hours community service for every day of his prison sentence", the prosecutor explained, adding that there was no indication that any of the others accused in the case would be given a plea bargain.
Another former HDZ MP Stjepan Fiolic too pleaded guilty to the charges whereas the second accused, former PM Ivo Sanader claims that this is yet another in a series of trumped up political cases against him embarked on by state prosecutor Mladen Bajic in a "crusade war".
After leaving the court today, Cobankovic said he was not happy that this happened to him but that unfortunately it did. I did not have enough courage to say 'no' to Sanader, Cobankovic said.
