Bosnia's High Representative has sacked a member of the country's shared presidency over corruption charges. Paddy Ashdown used his sweeping powers to fire Dragan Covic, who had refused to step down in the face of the accusations.

The country has a tripartite presidency representing the Croat, Muslim and Serb communities. The Muslim-Croat federation and the Republika Srpska emerged out of the Dayton accord that ended the war in 1995.

Covic, the Croat member of the leadership, was allegedly involved in a tax evasion scandal when he was finance minister five years ago. He is also accused of having abused his position.

His party, the nationalist HDZ, has given him its full support, emphasising that a person is innocent until proven guilty.

PHOTO CAPTION