Vukovar-Srijem County Prefect Damir Dekanic, three police officers, and two more persons were arrested on Wednesday morning, allegedly over a 2022 traffic accident involving Dekanic.

The arrests were made by officers from the police office for prevention of corruption and organised crime.

Last spring, Dekanic came into the media limelight following a traffic accident near the eastern Croatian town of Cerna, after which he claimed that he was a passenger in his official car and that the chauffeur had caused the accident.

However, media outlets quoted witnesses as saying that it was Dekanic who was driving the car and that he was the one who had caused the accident.

The police report after the crash said that Dekanic was in the passenger seat.

Dekanic insisted that the claims that it was him who was driving the car were disseminated by those trying to provoke his resignation.