SITUATION IN JUDICIARY WORSE THAN EXPECTED - SAYS JUSTICE MINISTER

ZAGREB, Feb 11 (Hina) - Croatian Justice, Government and Local Self-Government Minister Stjepan Ivanisevic on Friday assessed the situation in the judiciary was worse than he expected. Speaking to reporters in Zagreb, Ivanisevic singled out tardiness in solving a high number of cases as the chief problem. He said a lot of work awaited him, and that he would have a real picture of the situation only after visiting county centres. The justice minister reiterated he would urge the government not to cut judges' salaries. Answering questions about the Fikret Abdic case, Ivanisevic said Croatia could not extradite Abdic to Bosnia-Herzegovina (BH) since he was a Croatian citizen. The Croatian Constitution stipulates that Croatian citizens cannot be extradited to another state, the only exception being the Constitutional Law on Cooperation with The Hague war crimes tribunal. In the Abdic case, the Croatian judiciary may initiate and carry out criminal proceedings in Croatia only at Bosnia's demand, and thus far Croatia has not received any such request, Ivanisevic said. Abdic was accused by authorities in Sarajevo of secessionism and collaboration with the Serb aggressor during the Bosnian conflict of last decade. Commenting on the work of the State Judicial Council (DSV), the justice minister said the Council as an institution was not questionable, but its composition was. Ivanisevic believes the results of each Council member's work should be investigated. "Wrong steps" were made in choosing DSV members because procedure was neglected, he stated. Asserting the DSV had ignored Constitutional Court decisions on several occasions, Ivanisevic said the Council behaved as if it was not part of the legal system. The DSV has an important role in establishing order in the judiciary because it solves all disciplinary procedures, and in this respect it has failed completely, the justice minister said. (hina) ha