The Croatian Justice Ministry will "take into account state interests and the interests of the 14 persons named" in deciding what to do with the request for legal aid from the Bosnian Prosecutor's Office received days earlier, state agency Hina reported on Monday, citing a ministry's unsigned press release. The request asked for Croatian courts to take over the investigation into alleged war crimes related to the Croatian Army's 1995 Operation Flash in eastern Croatia near the border with Bosnia.

“The ministry said everything would be done in line with international regulations and Croatian laws, Hina added.

The statement said that the ministry had received the letter “via diplomatic channels” on 6 August, and added that the letter did not concern any indictments. It did contain a request for international legal aid under the provisions of a bilateral agreement between the two countries’ governments on legal aid in civil and criminal matters.

The ministry said the Bosnian Prosecutor’s Office suspected that 14 Croatian nationals – all of whom were senior Croatian military commanders at the time – had allegedly committed crimes which Bosnia and Herzegovina connected with Croatia’s Operation Flash.

The ministry said it would “conduct a detailed legal analysis of the documents delivered” to establish “if the prerequisites exist for taking over criminal prosecution” or if there are any obstacles “to refer the request for legal aid to Croatia’s State Attorney’s Office.

The statement said that “the facts and legal qualifications” in the documents were not binding on Croatian courts in any way, and that the letter of request “cannot bring into question the legitimacy of the 1995 liberation operations Flash and Storm.”

According to Croatian media, the Bosnian Prosecutor’s Office list includes wartime generals Pavao Miljavac, Mladen Markac, Marijan Marekovic, Davor Domazet-Loso and Luka Dzanko, as well as three generals that have died in the meantime – Petar Stipetic, Imra Agotic, and Ivan Basarac.

Local media was unable to explain the details or circumstances of the alleged war crimes, although state officials – including President Zoran Milanovic, and Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic – have already dismissed the allegations as baseless.