ZAGREB, May 23 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament resumed its 12th session on Wednesday with a debate on a final state prosecutor's office bill. Elaborating on the bill, Deputy Justice Minister Ranko Marjan stressed the need of
adjusting it to last December's constitutional amendments, which stipulate that the state prosecutor's office is obliged to act against the perpetrators of criminal acts, undertake legal action to protect Croatian property, and submit legal expedients to protect the Constitution and the law. The bill regulates the organisation, activity and competence of state prosecutor's offices and the method of appointing and relieving state prosecutors and their deputies. According to the bill, state prosecutor's offices would represent Croatia in civil actions and administrative procedures. Municipal state prosecutor's offices would represent the state in proceedings before municipal courts a
ZAGREB, May 23 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament resumed its 12th
session on Wednesday with a debate on a final state prosecutor's
office bill.
Elaborating on the bill, Deputy Justice Minister Ranko Marjan
stressed the need of adjusting it to last December's constitutional
amendments, which stipulate that the state prosecutor's office is
obliged to act against the perpetrators of criminal acts, undertake
legal action to protect Croatian property, and submit legal
expedients to protect the Constitution and the law.
The bill regulates the organisation, activity and competence of
state prosecutor's offices and the method of appointing and
relieving state prosecutors and their deputies.
According to the bill, state prosecutor's offices would represent
Croatia in civil actions and administrative procedures. Municipal
state prosecutor's offices would represent the state in
proceedings before municipal courts and administrative bodies,
county offices before county and commercial courts, while the
Croatian State Prosecutor's Office would represent Croatia in
proceedings before the national Supreme, Constitutional, and
Administrative Courts, and before international courts.
The head state prosecutor would be appointed to a four-year mandate
by parliament, at the government's proposal and with the previous
opinion of the competent parliamentary committee. County and
municipal state prosecutors would be appointed by the head state
prosecutor, with previous consent from the minister of justice.
Deputy state prosecutors would be appointed by the state bar
council with previous consent from competent state prosecutors and
the panel of judges.
Upon first coming into office, deputy state prosecutors would be
appointed to a five-year mandate, and remain in the office
permanently upon being re-appointed.
Benches of the opposition's Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and the
ruling Social Democrats (SDP) and the Social Liberals (HSLS)
assessed as contentious a provision giving the state prosecutor's
office power to initiate proceedings for the protection of legality
which postpones the execution of a court judgement.
Also contentious for the HDZ is a provision stipulating that
municipal and county state prosecutors cannot be appointed without
the previous consent of the justice minister. This is a breach of
the three-way partition of authority, they said.
Parliament will vote on the bill subsequently.
(hina) ha sb