COURT RULES GRANIC, BAGO WON'T BE INVESTIGATED, ATTORNEYS SATISFIED

ZAGREB, May 12 (Hina) - Zagreb's County Court on Wednesday agreed with its investigating judge and turned down a request to investigate former foreign minister Mate Granic and businessman Darinko Bago, whom the Office for the Prevention of Corruption and Organised Crime (USKOK) suspected of bribery.#L# After analysing the file on which the investigation request was based, the court decided the file does not point to the existence of founded suspicion that Granic and Bago were involved in bribery, court president Bozidar Rumenjak said in a press release. USKOK chief Zeljko Zganjer had said earlier he would lodge an appeal with the Supreme Court if Zagreb's County Court confirmed investigating judge Kresimir Devicic's assessment that USKOK had not submitted sufficient evidence to charge Granic and Bago. Attorneys representing Granic and Bago said they were satisfied with today's court decision. One of Granic's attorneys, Miroslav Separovic, told Hina the decision indicated the rule of law functioned and proved the judicial authority was independent. He declined to comment on USKOK's performance or say if Granic would sue anyone. Bago's attorney Ante Madunic agreed the Zagreb County Court decision proved the rule of law functioned. Granic, the honorary president of the Democratic Centre party and former presidential candidate, and Bago, his brother-in-law and chief executive officer of Koncar Electrical Industries Inc., were in remand prison since last Friday on suspicion of involvement in bribery through the sale of Koncar shares. They were released on Monday after Devcic turned down USKOK's investigation request. Granic underwent urgent coronary surgery at Zagreb's Cardiovascular Diseases Clinic on Tuesday morning after he was admitted in a pre-heart attack condition on Monday night. His condition today is stable, doctors said. (Hina) ha