He had been on the run since June 2001, disappearing shortly after the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) indicted him for his alleged involvement in atrocities committed against Krajina Serbs towards the end of the 1991-1995 conflict in Croatia.
Bio je u bekstvu od juna 2001, nestavši ubrzo nakon što je Međunarodni sud za bivšu Jugoslaviju (MKSJ) podigao optužnicu protiv njega zbog navodne umešanosti u zločine počinjene nad krajiškim Srbima pred kraj sukoba u Hrvatskoj 1991-1995.