"The State Prosecution can file a request with a court asking it to rule the removal of the monument, and the request can be grounded on the law on criminal proceedings," the minister was quoted by Wednesday's issue of the Jutarnji List daily as saying.
She went on to say that the erection of a monument to an Ustasha minister could be treated as "approval of a crime against humanity" and accordingly, this act could be declared as a crime and decision on removal of the plaque could be made.
Article 174 of the new law on criminal proceedings envisages a fine or imprisonment of up to three years for anyone who distributes in the public materials that supports or justifies a crime of genocide or a crime against humanity.
Skare-Ozbolt added that the Justice Ministry will examine relevant land registers so as to establish who is the owner of the land on which the memorial plaque was raised. This will be done so as to establish who was supposed to address the problem: the Church or local authorities.
The plaque was set up near the stone fence surrounding the parish church at Sveti Rok in the municipality of Lovinac, by a group of emigrants last weekend. The act triggered off heated debates, and the government condemned the erection of the plaque and requested its removal as soon as possible.
The authorities in Lovinac on Tuesday pressed charges against the unknown perpetrator over the plaque erection.
According to the daily, the Justice Ministry has answered that competent state authorities cannot launch procedure for the renewal of politically-motivated trials held during the Communist rule, including the Mile Budak trial, which was requested by an appeal signed by some 120 signatories, as the deadline for submitting requests for the revision of such processes expired on 1 January 2000, the ministry explained.