OLUJIC REQUESTS UPPER HOUSE FOR PROTECTION

ZAGREB, Feb 11 (Hina) - Krunislav Olujic, whom the State Judicial Council (DSV), relieved of the duty as the Croatian Supreme Court President, on Tuesday sent an appeal to the House of Counties against the DSV decision. Olujic proposed to the Croatian Parliament upper house to accept his request for protection, rescind the DSV decision and that his case should be reconsidered. On January 14, the State Judicial Council found Olujic to be responsible for serious disciplinary act by inflicting damage on the reputation of the court and judicial duty while he kept the company with two men who have criminal records. Therefore the disciplinary action was taken against him and he was relieved of the duty as the president and a judge of the Supreme Court. In his request for the protection, Olujic said that during the disciplinary action the DSV as a disciplinary tribunal, systematically flouted the procedure because of failure to apply relevant provisions of the law on criminal procedure. According to Olujic, the DSV accepted and used evidence obtained in unlawful way and established the facts of the case completely incorrectly and in a patchy way. It also violated the law to the detriment of the defendant, and eventually took unlawful decision on the penalty. That's why the disciplinary action against him had no characteristic of a fair procedure, Olujic added. He stressed that the penalty was out of proportion with the committed act. Therefore, the constitutional principle on fair trial and the criminal procedure law provisions on penalty were violated. (hina) jn mš 111745 MET feb 97