JUDGES STRONGLY CONDEMN GLAVAS FOR INTERFERING IN VALPOVO CASE

ZAGREB, Jan 23(Hina) - The Croatian Judges' Association (UHS) on Friday strongly condemned the leader of the Osijek branch of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party, Branimir Glavas, for interfering in the case of the Valpovo PPK agricultural complex, and said that by organising a workers' rally he abused his political position and influenced the course and outcome of legal proceedings.#L# After a meeting of the UHS Managing Board, UHS president Vladimir Gredelj told reporters that Glavas had called on workers to declare whether they accepted or not the corporate development strategy proposed by Valpovo PPK majority owner Ivo Brzica, which he said was an open invitation to resolve problems in society through violence. "We received an ugly message from Valpovo saying that if someone is not happy with a court ruling they can take up clubs and settle matters as they please," Gredelj said, recalling that the Valpovo Municipal Court had issued a ruling under which the new Supervisory Board and the Board of Directors led by Brzica were to take over the management of the company. Gredelj condemned the workers for taking other people's property by arms and criticised the authorities, particularly the Office of the State Prosecutor, for tolerating such behaviour. (Hina) vm sb