A murder suspect whose case almost cost Croatia tens of millions of euros in EU assistance was arrested in the former Yugoslav republic Wednesday, the first day the recently added EU member began applying European arrest warrants, dpa reported. Josip Perkovic, a Croatian who served in the former Yugoslavia's secret service, has been wanted in Germany since 2005 for his allegedrole in the killing of Croatian emigrant Stjepan Djurekovic in 1983 in Germany. Djurekovic was a prominent businessman who emigrated to Germany in1982 and became active in the Croatian nationalist movement seeking to undermine the Yugoslav federation. Germany issued an arrest warrant for Perkovic in 2005. Croatia had changed its laws a few days before its July 1 accession to the European Union, effectively preventing Perkovic's extradition.
