CHIEF STATE PROSECUTOR: CANJUGA SUSPECTED OF BREAKING LAW

ZAGREB, April 15 (Hina) - Croatia's Chief State Prosecutor Mladen Bajic confirmed Tuesday that there was founded suspicion that the former Zagreb County State Prosecutor, Krunoslav Canjuga, had acted contrary to the law. #L# Canjuga resigned yesterday. He will perform the duty of deputy county state prosecutor in Zlatar for the time being, said Bajic. Bajic told Hina that he would appoint Canjuga's temporary successor later in the day. Bajic said that founded suspicion of Canjuga's illegal actions arose in an investigating process in which police had used tapping methods. The measures were approved by an investigating judge at the request of the Office for the Prevention of Corruption and Organised Crime (USKOK), on founded suspicion that members of an organisation had committed crimes which are within the USKOK's jurisdiction. Bajic refused to reveal which group and acts this refers to. Based on collected information, Bajic informed Canjuga yesterday about founded suspicion that he had acted unlawfully while performing the duty of county state prosecutor. Canjuga tendered his resignation immediately afterwards. According to the media, police had for months tapped the telephones of a Zagreb attorney, Mirko Batarelo, as part of an investigation of corruption in the judiciary, which lasted for several months. Police taped a conversation between Batarelo and Canjuga in which they allegedly agreed to reduce certain criminal charges and to split bribes. The media speculate that this was a continuation of an investigation which already resulted in charges against 13 persons, including the assistant director of the Customs Administration, Robert Matijevic, for smuggling more than 2,000 tonnes of raw coffee, thus damaging the government budget by 15 million kuna. In this process, Batarelo is the defence attorney for one of the indictees, Igor Turac. (hina) lml