ZAGREB, Aug 31 (Hina) - Croatian Premier Ivica Racan on Thursday requested competent bodies to carry out an expeditious investigation into the circumstances under which Milan Levar died, and insisted on the punishment of perpetrators
or perpetrator of this crime.
ZAGREB, Aug 31 (Hina) - Croatian Premier Ivica Racan on Thursday
requested competent bodies to carry out an expeditious
investigation into the circumstances under which Milan Levar died,
and insisted on the punishment of perpetrators or perpetrator of
this crime.#L#
"Those who are responsible for crimes committed in Croatia will not
manage to thwart, by terror, blackmail or murders, Croatian
authorities in efforts to punish all those liable for war crimes or
white-collar crime. This Government is aware of its duties and
responsibilities in that sense," Racan said at the Government's
session on Thursday.
On that occasion the Government was notified of the course of the
investigation in the death of Milan Levar, killed in an explosion in
Gospic on August 28.
Interior Minister Sime Lucin said that although the inquiry had not
been finished yet, he believed that was assassination and terrorist
attack.
The Interior Ministry has set up two teams that have gone to Gospic
and the clarification of this case is a priority task of Croatian
policemen. We shall do our utmost to find a perpetrator of this
inhumane and horrible crime, Lucin added.
By yesterday the police conducted 90 interviews and they would
continue with questioning. We shall probably need the assistance of
the military police as some members of the armed forces, including
officers, should be interviewed as well, the interior minister
said.
Lucin added that the ministry, at whose helm he had been since the
change in authorities (following the January 3 elections) could not
assume responsibility for Levar's death.
During the change in the leadership, new authorities took over the
entire documentation in the Interior Ministry, including a list of
protected persons. Milan Levar was not listed, Lucin informed the
Government. Some persons, who along with Levar, were interviewed by
the International War Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia
(ICTY) in 1997 and 1998, have been protected, their identity has
been changed and they are no more in Croatia, Lucin said.
Following some media speculations and the first statement of the
Hague-based Tribunal that Levar was not a protected witness of this
court, Lucin demanded that the files, regarding this issue, should
be thoroughly checked.
Yesterday we established that on 15 April 1998, a statement signed
by the then Deputy Justice Minister, Snjezana Bagic, had been
forwarded to the then Interior Minister Ivan Penic asking him for
ensuring the protection (for Levar). The document was further sent
to Josko Moric and Zeljko Sacic (the then assistants to Penic) and
there every trace of this document is lost, Lucin said adding that
orders were subsequently given orally.
"Orders never reached the place where they should have come, namely
the police command of Lika-Senj County," Lucin asserted.
Submitting this report, he added that even if Levar had been
provided with protection it would have been difficult to protect
him around-the-clock.
Shortly before 04.00 pm Monday, Levar was killed in the blast of a
hand grenade planted in the top of a metal container with gas, which
was beside the garage in the yard of his mother's house in Gospic. At
the moment when Levar moved the lid, the grenade went off, the
minister informed.
On behalf of the Government, Premier Racan extended sincere
condolences to Levar's family, and on behalf of the Interior
Ministry, Lucin expressed regret about his death.
(hina) ms