ZAGREB COUNTY COURT INVESTIGATING JUDGE ZAGREB, June 25 (Hina) - Miroslav Separovic, a former head of the Croatian Intelligence Service (HIS), was heard on Friday by the Zagreb County Court investigating judge. Today's hearing marks
the beginning of investigation activities against Separovic and another HIS employee, Marijo Baljkas, the launching of was suggested by the Municipal State Attorney's Office in Zagreb due to suspicion that they had revealed an official secret. After the two-hour hearing, Separovic and his attorneys did not want to comment on what had been discussed with investigating judge Zdenko Konjic, because the procedure "has been declared partly confidential". Separovic said he was satisfied with the procedure, which he described as "fair". Prior to the hearing, Separovic and his attorneys, Ante Madunic and Ivan Surjan, gave statements for the press, because, as they said, if the procedure was proclaimed confidential, th
ZAGREB, June 25 (Hina) - Miroslav Separovic, a former head of the
Croatian Intelligence Service (HIS), was heard on Friday by the
Zagreb County Court investigating judge.
Today's hearing marks the beginning of investigation activities
against Separovic and another HIS employee, Marijo Baljkas, the
launching of was suggested by the Municipal State Attorney's Office
in Zagreb due to suspicion that they had revealed an official
secret.
After the two-hour hearing, Separovic and his attorneys did not
want to comment on what had been discussed with investigating judge
Zdenko Konjic, because the procedure "has been declared partly
confidential".
Separovic said he was satisfied with the procedure, which he
described as "fair".
Prior to the hearing, Separovic and his attorneys, Ante Madunic and
Ivan Surjan, gave statements for the press, because, as they said,
if the procedure was proclaimed confidential, they would not be
able to talk about the case any more.
Separovic and his attorneys presented to reporters the copy of a
letter, sent to the President of the Republic on June 23, requesting
that by today's hearing Separovic be freed from the obligation of
keeping confidential information secret, so that he could "present
appropriate defence and clear his name of all doubts cast on it
unjustifiably". However, the President did not respond to their
request.
Separovic also commented on accusations according to which in late
February 1999, he had held a meeting with the former Presidential
Chief-of-Staff Hrvoje Sarinic and US Ambassador William Montgomery
in Zagreb's hotel Intercontinental.
"I state under professional, moral and criminal responsibility
that no such meeting had taken place. It was a chance meeting, not a
secret meeting", Separovic said.
Separovic said an official document on the "meeting" had been
compiled and presented to him in March by the head of the Office for
National Security (UNS), Ivan Jarnjak. "I was appalled at its false
content and the illegal conduct of the service which had compiled
it", said Separovic, adding immediately upon the meeting with
Jarnjak he had written a report on his meeting with Montgomery and
Sarinic for President Tudjman.
Separovic's attorneys said they would suggest to the State
Attorney's Office to launch actions which would be aimed at
establishing who was responsible for "the illegally compiled
document". The attorneys will suggest that Jarnjak, Sarinic,
Montgomery and the head of the Security and Intelligence Service
(SIS), Ante Gugic, and, if necessary, witnesses to the meeting in
question, including some high state officials and public figures,
be heard as witnesses in the Separovic case.
Confirming that he would meet the US Ambassador on June 28,
Separovic said there was no fear that he would give away any state
secret. "I have never done such a thing, and I won't do it this time
either", he added.
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