POLICE FILE CHARGES AGAINST FORMER ZAGREB COUNTY PROSECUTOR

ZAGREB, May 16 (Hina) - Police on Friday filed charges against a former Zagreb County prosecutor, Krunoslav Canjuga, on suspicion that he received bribes from attorney Mirko Batarelo, against whom police filed bribery charges. #L# The police submitted the charges to the Office for the Prevention of Corruption and Organised Crime (USKOK). The interior ministry did not reveal the identities of the charged persons in a statement it released today. Canjuga is suspected of frequent contacts with Batarelo from last December to mid-April this year during which he provided the attorney with information about certain cases, which is in violation of the Law on the State Prosecution and the Rule-Book on internal affairs in state prosecution offices. Canjuga brought Batarelo, who had no legal right to such information, in a privileged position in relation to others, while Batarelo returned the favours to Canjuga. If the USKOK accepts the charges, legal conditions will be met for initiating disciplinary proceedings against Canjuga. After resigning in mid-April, Canjuga was transferred to the Zlatar county prosecution as deputy prosecutor. Both Canjuga and Batarelo were called in for police questioning last week. Canjuga resigned after the state's chief prosecutor, Mladen Bajic, informed him of suspicion that he was involved in illegal activities. According to the media, police tapped Canjuga's and Batarelo's telephones as part of an investigation of several months into corruption in the judiciary. Over the telephone, the two allegedly made agreements to alleviate certain criminal charges, doctor files and divide bribes. It is speculated that this was the continuation of an investigation which resulted in this March's USKOK indictment against 13 people suspected of smuggling large amounts of raw coffee. Batarelo was a defence attorney of one of the defendants in the case. (hina) lml sb