Berislav Rončević (born 23 June 1960) is a

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

n politician, and the former Minister of Internal Affairs in the

government of Croatia The Government of Croatia (), formally the Government of the Republic of Croatia (), commonly abbreviated to Croatian Government (), is the main executive branch of government in Croatia. It is led by the Prime Minister of Croatia, president o ...

and the Minister of Defense. Rončević was born in the village of Borovik near

Đakovo Đakovo (; , , sr-Cyrl, Ђаково) is a town in the region of Slavonia, Croatia. Đakovo is the centre of the fertile and rich Đakovo region ( ). Etymology The etymology of the name is the (diákos) in Slavic form đak (pupil). The Hungar ...

. He graduated from the

Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb The Faculty of Law of the University of Zagreb (, , PFZG) is the law school of the University of Zagreb. Founded in 1776 by Empress Maria Theresa as part of her comprehensive reforms in the system of education in the Habsburg monarchy, it is the ...

in 1985. Rončević has been a member of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) since 1990. He began his political career in the party in the town of

Našice Našice (; , sr-Cyrl, Нашице, , ) is a town in eastern Croatia, located on the northern slopes of the Krndija mountain in eastern Slavonia, 51 km southwest of regional hub Osijek. Administratively it belongs to Osijek-Baranja County. ...

, and afterwards within the

Osijek-Baranja County Osijek-Baranja County (, , ) is a Counties of Croatia, county in Croatia, located in northeastern Slavonia and Baranya (region), Baranja which is defined part of the Pannonian Plain. Its center is Osijek. Other towns include Đakovo, Našice, Val ...

. He was assistant to the mayor, and later mayor of

himself. He has been a representative in the

Parliament of Croatia In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. T ...

since 2000. After parliamentary elections in 2003 he took on the portfolio of defence minister. In December 2010, Rončević was sentenced to four years in prison for alleged improprieties during acquisition of army trucks in 2004. After his guilty verdict was vacated by the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

in April 2013, Rončević was acquitted in the second trial in January 2014. Rončević is married and a father of four.

References

1960 births Living people Representatives in the modern Croatian Parliament Croatian Democratic Union politicians Defence ministers of Croatia Interior ministers of Croatia Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb alumni Croatian politicians convicted of crimes {{Croatia-politician-stub