Gordan Mrsic has been appointed chief forensic investigator, the Interior Ministry said in a press release on Sunday, explaining that personnel changes in top positions were the response to "the poor organisational climate" in the centre.
The statement rejected media reports that changes in the top positions in the centre could be connected to the dismissal of criminal charges against Zvonimir Mrsic, the mayor of Koprivnica and Gordan Mrsic's brother.
The charges pressed by the police against Zvonimir Mrsic for his involvement in the conclusion of a contract, which the police viewed as harmful, for Koprivnica in the sale of the Pirovac hotel, have been recently dropped by the local municipal prosecutors.
The ministry said today that Ines Gmajnicki, who has so far been the head of the department for chemical and toxicological examinations in the centre, is appointed the new director of the centre.
Her deputy will be Gojko Markovic, who has so far been the head of the general crime department in the Ivan Vucetic Centre.
Mrsic and his deputy Andro Vrdoljak are to be transferred to the posts of chief forensic investigators in the centre.
According to the statement, the cause for their replacement was the poor organisational climate inside the centre and insufficient cooperation with other police services.
Six months ago, those problems, including "poor relations" among staff were pointed out and the centre's director and his deputy were asked to take steps to improve the situation.
Given that no headway had been made, Gordan Mrsic was notified in mid-June of the national police chief's decision on his transfer to another workplace, reads the statement signed by Interior Ministry spokesman Krunoslav Borovec.