SPLIT COUNTY COURT PRESIDENT BANS JUDGE LOZINA FROM HOLDING PRESS CONFERENCE

SPLIT, Nov 6 (Hina) - The president of the Split County Court, Igor Benzon, said in a statement on Wednesday that he had forbidden Judge Slavko Lozina to participate in a press conference held on Tuesday in Zagreb and organised by the Association of Croatian Judges. #L# Benzon stated that Judge Lozina had informed him of his intent to hold a press conference in the presence of the president of the Judges' Association, Vladimir Gredelj. Benzon added that once he examined the contents of Lozina's statements at the press conference, he would decide whether to apply measures in keeping with Article 24 of the Law on the State Judicial Council. Under that article the president of the court is obliged to submit a request to instigate disciplinary measures against a judge suspected of committing a deed requiring these measures. At the press conference on Tuesday, Lozina announced that he would sue Justice Minister Ingrid Anticevic-Marinovic because of her request to dismiss him of his duty, claiming that the minister had misused her position and authorities. Lozina amongst other things said that he had convened the press conference in response to the media attacks on him since he took the Lora trial. (hina) sp it sb