OSIJEK COUNTY HDZ SUES LOCAL OFFICIALS FOR SPREADING FALSE RUMOURS

OSIJEK, April 15 (Hina) - The Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) Committee in Osijek-Baranja County said on Tuesday it had filed a lawsuit with the Osijek Municipal Prosecution against county prefect Zdravko Bosancic (Social-Democratic Party, SDP), County Assembly president Ramiro Ristic (Liberal Party, LS), SDP County Committee president Zeljko Malevic, and County Assembly secretary Davor Bruncic for "spreading false rumours". #L# The HDZ sued the officials for "the spreading of false rumours pertaining to Article 320 of the Penal Code on the illegal change of the organisation of local self-government". In the lawsuit, that was sent to the media, the party claims that after the majority of councillors in the Osijek County Assembly - from the HDZ, Croatian Social Liberal Party and the Croatian Party of Rights - submitted their resignations on April 8 and 9, Bosancic and Ristic "falsely informed" a news conference that "conditions for the assembly to continue operating and adopting decisions still exist, under the relevant law and other regulations, by activating mandates of deputy councillors". The party claims that Zeljko Malevic on April 14 made a similar statement, claiming that "the Assembly has a quorum even if the majority of councillors resigned", which, the HDZ claims, "was carried by all electronic media and the press, which in that way enabled the spreading of false and unsettling rumours with the aim of illegally changing the set-up of local self-government". The HDZ claims that the sued officials were aware that the process of verification of deputy councillors at all previous assembly sessions had taken place in line with the assembly's rule book, in the presence of the majority of councillors. It further claims that the said officials falsely presented the resignation of 26 councillors as an attempt to illegally dissolve the County Assembly. The said officials knowingly and intentionally obstructed the organisation of the county as defined by law, the Assembly's Statute and Rule Book, falsely claiming that the Assembly could operate lawfully with less than 50% of councillors, the HDZ said in the lawsuit. (hina) rml