ZAGREB, 3 May 2022 - Former Split deputy mayor Bojan Ivošević said on Tuesday, after an indictment was upheld against him for threatening a reporter, that he was confident he would prove his innocence in court.

"I respect the legal institutions of the state at all levels, including the court's decision to issue an indictment against me, and I strongly believe that during the trial I will prove my innocence," he said in a statement for the media.

The indictment, upheld last Friday by the Split Municipal Court, charges Ivošević with having threatened an editor at the Slobodna Dalmacija daily after an argument over the phone.

A few days after the indictment was issued, Split Mayor Ivica Puljak stepped down together with Ivošević and his second deputy Antonio Kuzmanić, deciding to go to a snap election. Along with electing a new mayor Split residents will also elect a new, 31-seat City Council.

ZAGREB, 3 May 2022 - Split Municipal Court has upheld an indictment against Split Deputy Mayor Bojan Ivošević for threatening a reporter.

The indictment, which resulted in Ivošević as well as Mayor Ivica Puljak tendering their resignations and deciding to go to a snap election, was upheld on 29 April.

Ivošević is charged with having threatened an editor at the Slobodna Dalmacija daily on 6 February, who after an argument with her over the phone said that he would "drink their blood."

Under the indictment, the reporter conveyed his words to her editor-in-chief and executive editor, which caused a feeling of fear and anxiety among reporters.

The indictment reads that Ivošević was dissatisfied with the way the daily reported about his work as deputy mayor and with articles about his family.

The issuing of the indictment against the closest associate to Mayor Ivica Puljak was the reason why Puljak's partners in the Split City Assembly withheld their support to Puljak, claiming Ivošević's conduct was unacceptable and could not be justified considering his post. Shortly after that, Puljak, Ivošević and Puljak's second deputy Antonio Kuzmanić stepped down.

Puljak said that by stepping down they wanted voters to be able to decide on the city leadership, stressing that Ivošević did not steal anything or hit anyone and that, even though his communication had indeed been inappropriate, it was not something to go to jail for.