STATE PROSECUTION CRITICISES TV BROADCAST "LATINICA - JUSTICE IN CROATIA"

ZAGREB, Jan 31 (Hina) - The State Prosecution's Panel of Judges has stated that the purpose of the Croatian Television broadcast "Latinica - Justice in Croatia" was not to open a serious debate about the situation in the judiciary but to discredit Chief State Prosecutor Radovan Ortynski. The Panel of Judges, which consists of Ortynski's deputies, issued a statement on Thursday describing the programme as "damaging, biased and destructive for the work of all prosecutors and the Chief State Prosecutor." The judges believe that anchorman Denis Latin manipulated the current difficult situation in the judiciary and levelled inadmissible accusations against the Chief State Prosecutor describing him as incompetent. In doing that, he used untruths saying the State Prosecution did not do anything in relation to the murder of Zagreb resident Zoran Domini and the "Grupo" scandal. The panel of judges believes it is obvious that in the case of the Grupo affair Latin sided with the media, which are dissatisfied that a request for investigating the case was turned down. They also believe that Latin used his position as the programme's editor for his personal interests, given that he has sued a newspaper company connected with the Grupo affair, which he called criminal, but is working for a rival media company. The panel also believes that all guests, apart from the justice minister, advocated personal interests or those of their clients, and that their statements contained elements of the criminal act of exertion of pressure on judicial officials because they commented on trials that are underway. Justice Minister Ingrid Anticevic Marinovic has been criticised for not having distanced herself sufficiently from the way the programme was conducted and the presented stands on the work of judicial officials. (hina) sb rml