"We wanted to return the property under the ownership of the Republic of Croatia because we believed that it could not be the subject of restitution," Bosnjakovic told Hina after the High Administrative Court quashed on March 21 the decision Bosnjakovic made in August 2011.
He said he warned at that time that there was a legal instrument of protection and that the final decision would be made by the Administrative Court, which now happened.
"The Court found that the state can't have ownership over the property and that it will have the ownership status it had before the decision was made," Bosnjakovic said, adding that he did not anticipate Croatia to be sued for damages.
His August 2011 decision declared null and void all decisions adopted by the Istria County Property Restitution Office between 1997 and 2002 which returned the monastery and its valuable land to the Porec-Pula Diocese. Bosnjakovic's decision was preceded by a dispute between the diocese and the Holy See which, unhappy with how the diocese ran the monastery, returned Dajla to Benedictines from Praglia, Italy who lived at the monastery until 1945.