POLICE, STATE PROSECUTION TO FOCUS ON CORRUPTION IN PUBLIC SECTOR

ZAGREB, April 14 (Hina) - Uncovering and preventing abuse of office and corruption in the public sector will be the priority of Croatian police and the state prosecution in the coming period, representatives of the interior ministry, state prosecution, and the Office for the Prevention of Corruption and Organised Crime (USKOK) concluded on Monday. #L# "There is ground to suspect corruption in the public sector, so we agreed to take concrete steps to prevent it," chief state prosecutor Mladen Bajic told a news conference in Zagreb after the meeting. He declined to say what the measures were, but said the public would be informed of activities taken in a "relatively short time". Attending the meeting which aimed to improve cooperation between police and the state prosecution in preventing corruption in state services were Interior Minister Sime Lucin, police chief Ranko Ostojic, and USKOK temporary head Zeljko Zganjer. They agreed cooperation to date had been very successful, especially in investigation and the pressing of charges. Asked if police would probe allegations of abuse by some ministers and MPs who some media claim own and manage companies, Minister Lucin said police would react every time law was broken, including when there was ground to suspect MPs and government ministers. "We are determined to get at the bottom of things," added Bajic. Asked if there was organised crime and the mob in Croatia, Lucin answered in the affirmative, recalling that 108 charges had been filed over the past two years for association to commit crimes. He refuted media allegations that the interior ministry had set up a special counter-terror unit to arrest people indicted by the Hague war crimes tribunal, especially retired General Ante Gotovina. Lucin said media stories were not worthy of comment. "Police are only doing their job and I believe they will be successful." (hina) ha