ORTYNSKI SUBMITS REPORT TO PARLIAMENT

ZAGREB, April 17 (Hina) - Head State Prosecutor Radovan Ortynski, who submitted his resignation last week, on Wednesday accused the government of miscalculating the numbers of unsolved cases in the State Prosecutor's Office, namely that it had passed a decision on poorer promptness, accusing the Justice Ministry, police and the judiciary of poor work and cooperation.#L# Because of this and for the benefit of the judiciary, many could submit their resignations, Ortynski said in the parliament today, elaborating an annual report on the work of the State Prosecutor's Office for 2001. The government has negatively assessed the report, which is why Ortynski resigned. Ortynski said that he also resigned because of the lobbying in the media, planned and encouraged by persons close to organised crime. He accused the government of miscalculating data on the promptness of the work of the State Prosecutor's Office, thus causing damage to the overall judiciary. He believes this would not have happened if the government convened a meeting of its coordinating body which would discuss the report. Ortynski also pointed to a great number of filed criminal charges of poor quality, which the State Prosecutor's Office had to return to the police. According to him, this cannot be counted as poor promptness of the State Prosecutor's Office. For better performance in discovering economic and any other crime, the government lacks a legal regulations for prompt police work, in line with the directions of the State Prosecutor's Office, Ortynski said. He said that for the successful solving of economic crime cases, money laundering, etc. also missing were expert staff, particularly financial experts in the police. "At the same time the police brags," Ortynski says, "and accuses the State Prosecutor's Office of keeping police charges in their drawers." He said that during a one-year period, he had been contributing to strengthening of the State Prosecutor's Office by bringing the personnel and expert staff. He said the Office had been systematically neglected during the past ten years and that the government failed to react on an increase of a crime rate in the country. He said that while performing the duty of the State Prosecutor he only partially managed to view the problems of organised crime. He said he could not solve the cases without the efficiency of the police, the judiciary and the Justice Ministry. He reminded the MPs of a series of great scandals such as the "Slobodna Dalmacija" daily affair and the "Dubrovacka Banka" scandal. Ortynski said he cannot agree to be responsible for crime cases which took place before he took the office, and for the work of the police, the judiciary and the Justice Ministry. (hina) it sb