Deputy Prime Minister Anja Simpraga's chief of staff Dalibor Semper has been dismissed from his post following a hit-and-run accident on Friday, in which he seriously injured a child while driving under the influence of alcohol.

The decision was made during a government conference call on Monday. Semper (45) has been remanded in one-month pre-trial detention, which was ordered due to the danger of interfering with witnesses and repeating the crime.

The Karlovac Municipal Prosecutor’s Office has accused him of turning onto the opposite side of the road and hitting a 10-year-old child while under the influence of alcohol.

The child suffered multiple serious injuries, and the driver is suspected of not helping him after the accident even though he could have. Semper drove away from the scene, but was stopped by members of the public who had witnessed the incident. The injured boy was transferred to the Gospic General Hospital and from there to the KBC Zagreb hospital, where he underwent surgery on Saturday. His condition is stable.

Deputy Prime Minister Anja Simpraga said on Saturday she would initiate the procedure for Semper’s dismissal.