Leader Of Bosnia's Muslim-Croat Federation Indicted For Abuse Of Power

Zivko Budimir (facing camera, embracing a well-wisher after his release from prison in Mostar in May) and six other people are accused of arranging the pardons of 27 people without appropriate legal reasons to do so.

The president of the Muslim-Croat federation, one of the autonomous regions of Bosnia-Herzegovina, has been indicted on charges of abuse of office.

Zivko Budimir is the highest-ranking Bosnian official to face such charges.

Budimir, who is an ethnic Croat, and six other people are accused of arranging the pardons of 27 people without appropriate legal reasons to do so.

Prosecutors said some of those pardoned had been sentenced for serious crimes, including murder, drug trafficking, and tax evasion.

Budimir, who has denied wrongdoing, was detained in April and spent time in custody before being released.

Since the end of the 1992-95 Bosnian war, the country has been divided into two semi-independent entities, the Bosnian Serb-run Republika Srpska and the Muslim-Croat federation.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP