Mario Banožić Opens a Company

Shortly after the indictment against Mario Banožić for causing a fatal traffic accident was confirmed, the former HDZ Minister of Defense established a company of which he is the sole owner and director, reports Index.

The indictment was confirmed in mid-November 2024, more than a year after the accident, while the company JAV d.o.o. was founded on December 17 of the same year.

The company’s headquarters is located in Vinkovci, at the address of a house for which Banožić used an APN loan of 100,000 euros, along with a subsidy of 25,306 euros for a term of 15 years.

The company is registered for a wide range of activities, including business consulting, market research, commercial mediation, radio programming, real estate operations, and hospitality.

What Banožić is Charged With

The indictment charges the former HDZ minister with having driven at an inappropriate speed while managing a Nissan in the right lane of state road 55 from Vinkovci towards Županja on November 11, 2023, around 6:10 AM, and having crossed to the opposite side while overtaking a column, despite reduced visibility due to fog and limited visibility due to a group of vehicles in front of him.

He is accused of having started the overtaking maneuver even though the traffic lane was not free at a sufficient distance to safely execute the overtaking, considering the speed of his vehicle and that of the vehicle he was overtaking.

On November 11, 2023, Banožić crashed into a van driven by 40-year-old Goran Šarić, a father of two, while attempting to overtake near Vinkovci. Šarić died at the scene.

It took the Vinkovci Prosecutor’s Office nearly six months to file charges against Banožić. The indictment against the former HDZ minister for causing a traffic accident was filed in April of last year.

For months, there was no explanation from the DORH as to why the indictment was not confirmed. It was confirmed two days after the anniversary of the accident.

According to the indictment, Banožić struck the front left side of a truck traveling in the opposite direction with the front of his vehicle, resulting in the death of the 41-year-old driver at the scene of the accident.

It is also worth mentioning that the session originally scheduled to decide on the indictment was set for November 6 but was postponed due to Banožić’s defense attorney claiming she was unable to attend.

Why Was Banožić Never Arrested?

Banožić spent two weeks in the hospital after the accident but left as a free man and was neither arrested nor sent to pre-trial detention.

The DORH, by its own admission, was unaware that the former minister had been released from the hospital. Banožić was questioned by the police under special, strictly controlled conditions.

Immediately before Banožić’s arrival at the Vinkovci Police Administration building, staff were prohibited from using the elevator so that the former minister could enter the elevator without waiting and be seen by as few people as possible.

Shortly after the accident, Banožić was photographed sitting in a hospitality establishment with the cousin of the head of the Vukovar-Srijem Police. The café he was in is located in close proximity to his apartment. In the photograph, he is with Zlatko Zovak Braco, the cousin of the chief of the Vukovar-Srijem police, Ante Zovak.

No precautionary measures were imposed on Banožić, so his driver’s license was not revoked for months after the accident, and he was free to contact witnesses of the accident.

The case was marked by other controversies, including suspicions that the presence of alcohol in his blood was covered up.

Regarding media coverage and the opinion of the traffic expert, Banožić spoke in his first interview for RTL. He claimed that the deceased had entered his traffic lane.

– First of all, when we look at the physics side, we see that it is not exactly as described, headlight to headlight. In other words, there was a slightly different event that I primarily expect the experts to determine. I expect the experts to determine, which has not been done so far, that it is clearly visible where the braking started. Because if I was braking, how was I overtaking? – said Banožić.