Croatian Deputy PM Jailed In Hungary

Croatian Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Radimir Cacic during a court hearing in June

A court in Hungary has sentenced the deputy prime minister of neighboring Croatia to 22 months in prison for killing two people in a traffic accident.

In a previous ruling in June, Radimir Cacic was given a suspended sentence, but the November 14 ruling by an appeals court overturned that sentence.

Cacic subsequently announced his resignation at an impromptu news conference in Zagreb.

Cacic crashed into another car at great speed on a Hungarian highway in January 2010.

He can be paroled after serving half the sentence.

He was the head of the of the opposition Croatian People's Party at the time of the accident.

It was not immediately clear whether he will serve the sentence in Croatia or Hungary.

Cacic is also Croatia's economy minister.

Based on reporting by AP, dpa, and Reuters