The former president of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zivko Budimir, was cleared of charges of misuse of power, influence peddling and bribe taking, by Sarajevo Municipal Court on Wednesday.

The indictment alleged that Budimir misused his office to grant pardons to persons sentenced to prison terms, and that he misused budget funds intended for the functioning of his office. He was arrested while in office six years ago in a spectacular police operation.

“I expected this outcome,” Budimir told the press on Wednesday, adding that he was still disappointed by the institutions that prosecuted him even though he did nothing wrong. He said that his removal from office was part of efforts to influence political processes in the Federation, the Bosniak-Croat half of Bosnia and Herzegovina.