BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia’s state prosecutor is investigating diplomats accused of helping Miladin Kovacevic, a former Binghamton University men’s basketball player wanted in the United States, flee to his home country, the prosecutor’s office said.

The 20-year-old Kovacevic, known as Minja, is sought in the U.S. on the assault charges he severely beat his schoolmate Bryan Steinhauer during a May 4 bar fight at the Rathskeller on State Street in Downtown Binghamton.

Kovacevic had been recruited to play basketball for BU, but his scholarship was not going to be renewed for the 2008-09 season, even before the incident. He was detained in the U.S. after the May fight, but fled to Serbia in June after he was freed on $100,000 bail.

As a condition of his release, Kovacevic had surrendered his Serbian passport, but Deputy Consul Igor Milosevic reportedly furnished Kovacevic with new travel documents.

Serbia’s Foreign Ministry already has withdrawn from the U.S. Milosevic and another employee involved in the case, and launched disciplinary measures against them.

State prosecutor Slobodan Radovanovic said Wednesday a probe was under way to determine “possible criminal responsibility.” No other details were immediately available.

Kovacevic’s case has led to a crisis in U.S.-Serbia relations.

Serbian law does not allow him to be extradited, and Serb officials have suggested that U.S. authorities hand over the full case file so they can consider whether Kovacevic should be prosecuted in Serbia.

Belgrade’s private Beta news agency said Kovacevic signed a contract to play for KK Vrbas, a team that plays in a regional Serbian league.

“Doctors said it would be good for him to start training because he has become depressive because of what has happened to him,” Kovacevic’s lawyer Veselin Cerovic was quoted as saying by Belgrade’s Vecernje Novosti newspaper on Wednesday.

“He has to forget all the bad things that have happened to him, and the best medicine is to return to playing basketball,” Cerovic said.

Steinhauer, 22, remains hospitalized.