Nine years of salary for suspended professor

Stjepan Blazanovic, who was suspended for sexual harassment of a student nine years ago, still receives a university salary.

Stjepan Blazanovic, a professor who was suspended for sexual harassment charges and who was sentenced to prison in 2004, still receives a salary from the University of Zadar.

In addition to his salary, he reportedly applied for re-election at his former literature lecturer position at the Department of Croatian Language and Literature.

Eli Vrsaljko, a spokeswoman for the University, recognizes that Blazanovic regularly receives a monthly salary in spite the fact that he has not taught any classes for years and in spite the fact that his name is not on the list of department faculty, Jutarnji List writes.

He will be treated as a university teacher until the end of his trial process; a university spokeswoman says and confirmes that he reapplied for his former position at the university. Although the trial ended five years ago, Vrsaljko still claims that the outcome has not been finalized yet.

'The victim of mentally ill colleagues'

Blazanovic’s prosecution began in 2001 after 170 students signed a petition in which they accused him of sexual harassment, physical and verbal harassment, abuse and blackmail.

The Office of Zadar State Attorney indicted him for six offenses of corruption, threats of sexual freedom and morality. The Faculty of Philosophy administration decided to suspend him until his trial was over.  At the end of the process it was decided that the Blazanovic was guilty and he was sentenced to two years of a parole and three months of prison.

Blazanovic still claims that he is innocent and that he was a victim of ‘mentally ill colleagues’.