SUMANOVIC EXPRESSES SERIOUS CONCERN OVER ZUROFF'S STATEMENT

( Editorial: --> 5200 ) ZAGREB, July 2 (Hina) - Zagreb County Court President Miroslav Sumanovic on Thursday expressed serious concern over a statement by Simon Wiesenthal Centre director Ephraim Zuroff, as was published in Zagreb daily "Vecernji List". Sumanovic stressed the statement harshly intruded into the independence of judicial authorities of a sovereign country. Zuroff held a news conference in Split on Wednesday at which he said, according to "Vecernji List", "the evidence against Dinko Sakic exists and it is firm, clear and indisputable. On Friday I have a meeting with the Croatian Justice Minister after which I will know more... If it should happen that the court delivers an exculpatory verdict, it would mean that the Croatian state was a farce as well as the Croatian judiciary, and the whole world will know about it". Sumanovic said that "if the mentioned views of Mr. Zuroff were authentic and correctly relayed, then they justifiably provoke astonishment and consternation". "The content and style of the statement are impermissible and below every civilised standard," Sumanovic stressed. He added that it was a "very harsh encroachment upon the independence of judicial authorities of a sovereign state, it exerts direct pressure on the court regarding the outcome of the case which is at an investigative stage, it blatantly violates the constitutional premise of the defendant's innocence (until proven guilty) and his right to a proper and fair trial before an independent court". "These rights are important and are the essential substratum of the basic principles of law recognised in civilised, democratic countries, as is surely the case in the homeland of Mr. Zuroff. I express serious concern over such a statement and I call on all those who have personal concern towards the proceedings against Dinko Sakic to enable the court to act professionally and objectively," Miroslav Sumanovic concluded. (hina) lml jn /mbr 021620 MET jul 98