ZAGREB, April 17 (Hina) - Most party benches in the Croatian parliament said on Wednesday that they would not vote "for or against" the report of the State Prosecutor's Office for 2001, but would demand that within three months it be
amended with draft measures on more effective prevention of white-collar and organised crime.
ZAGREB, April 17 (Hina) - Most party benches in the Croatian
parliament said on Wednesday that they would not vote "for or
against" the report of the State Prosecutor's Office for 2001, but
would demand that within three months it be amended with draft
measures on more effective prevention of white-collar and
organised crime. #L#
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) bench was the only one to vote
against the report, the Croatian Party of Rights/Croatian
Christian Democratic Union (HSP/HKDU) bench abstained, while the
Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) announced that it would not take
part in the vote.
"There is no sense in discussing the report, because the fate of
State Prosecutor Radovan Ortynski has been sealed elsewhere,"
HDZ's Drago Krpina said.
If the government believes that Ortynski did not meet its
expectations, it should have said so, instead of criticising the
performance of 300 hard-working employees at the Prosecutor's
Office by rejecting the report, Miroslav Rozic of the HSP/HKDU
bench said.
Mato Arlovic of the SDP said that the government did not replace
Ortynski but only suggested that he be relieved of duty, after he
tendered the resignation himself.
Commenting on the report, Arlovic said that it was troubling that
Ortynski warned in his report that persons close to criminal
circles and interest groups could remove people who hinder their
activities.
If that is true, and "if they can remove the parliament if it stands
in their way, then all competent bodies should work round the clock
to prevent such a thing, but if this isn't true, one should take
another stand because this arouses public panic," Arlovic said.
MPs warned that the State Prosecution was not the only body
responsible for crime in Croatia, and that all institutions which
are in charge of prosecution were responsible for it.
Damir Kajin of the Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS) objected that
the government had not provided enough arguments for replacing
Ortynski. "We all know that the reason for his replacement is not
the report, but his clumsy statements that he is being prevented by
the President of State and the Prime Minister from processing
crime," Kajin said, adding that if this was true, Croatia was in
serious trouble.
(hina) sb rml