Judge Slavko Lozina said Skare-Ozbolt should be defending the dignity of the judiciary but was not. "When she was an MP of the Democratic Centre (party) Skare-Ozbolt was saying that I was a biased and politicised judge, while in her capacity as justice minister she made statements about the Lora case so as to curry favor with the international community."
Added Lozina, "It's sad that in independent Croatia the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) applauds every Supreme Court decision that quashes a non-final ruling."
Lozina said he did his job in the Lora case professionally despite the heavy pressure he was exposed to, and that he was proud of it.
The Supreme Court today returned the case to the court of first instance for a re-trial, which must be held before a new panel of judges.
On 20 November 2002, the Split County Court acquitted Tomislav Duic, Tonci Brkic, Miljenko Bajic, Josip Bikic, Davor Banic, Emilio Bungura, Ante Gudic and Andjelko Botic of crimes against civilians committed in the early 1990s. The trial lasted six months.