ZAGREB, Nov 5 (Hina) - Split County Court judge Slavko Lozina announced on Tuesday he would press charges against Justice Minister Ingrid Anticevic-Marinovic because she "abused her office" by demanding he be relieved of duty.
ZAGREB, Nov 5 (Hina) - Split County Court judge Slavko Lozina
announced on Tuesday he would press charges against Justice
Minister Ingrid Anticevic-Marinovic because she "abused her
office" by demanding he be relieved of duty. #L#
Anticevic-Marinovic requested the State Judicial Council to
relieve Lozina of his duty because he damaged the reputation of the
court and the judicial profession when criminal proceedings were
instigated against him after he allegedly failed to help a person
gravely injured in a traffic accident.
Denying that he was guilty, Lozina told a news conference organised
today by the Croatian Judges' Association that judges could be
suspended only for criminal acts punishable by a sentence of more
than five years in prison. The crime ascribed to him does not fall in
that category, he said.
"Such a request on the justice minister's part points to her legal
incompetence and her personal squaring of accounts with judges who
are not to her liking due to the clear political goals they
advocate," said Lozina. He added the request to launch disciplinary
proceedings was aimed at relieving him from the judge's post and
removing him from the Lora war crimes trial.
Lozina told the minister she could relieve him of duty "by political
means and speculations" because she "currently has the power and
authority" to do so. He added, however, that "justice, the people
and God, who always win over force and injustice" were on his side.
He similarly described his attendance of a Split concert by pop
singer Marko Perkovic Thompson, stating he "feels sorry for anyone
who has something against Thompson" because in his songs he
"conveys a message of love for God and the people".
Commenting on the Lora war crimes trial, Lozina said it was
unacceptable to state that this trial and the one against the so-
called Gospic Group, also for war crimes, were a test for the
Croatian judiciary which would decide if the UN war crimes tribunal
at The Hague would let the Croatian judiciary hold such trials in
the future.
The Hague tribunal does not have jurisdiction over Croatian judges,
who rule by their conscience and according to what is established in
the proceedings, said Lozina.
"For me Lora is a case like any other, so a conviction cannot be made
in advance," he said.
Lozina denied his collusion with politics, saying he froze his
membership in the opposition's Croatian Democratic Union in 1993
when he was appointed Split Municipal Court judge.
Some journalists walked out of the news conference after a person
who introduced himself as a Lozina family friend assaulted
"Jutarnji list" daily reporter Mario Kavain, accusing him of having
built his career in journalism by slandering Lozina.
(hina) ha sb