Trucks Case Must Be Solved for Croatian Reputation

If Croatia wants to be a law-based state, nobody can be above the law and the ‘military trucks’ case has to be cleared, the minister said.

ZAGREB, CROATIA – Justice Minister Ivan Simonovic said on Friday, after criminal charges have been filed against former defence minister Berislav Roncevic and his former assistant Ivo Bacic, that the case of the procurement of the military trucks has to be resolved for the reputation of the Croatian Armed Forces, the police and judiciary, as well as Croatia as a country. 

- If Croatia wants to be a law-based state, then nobody can be above the law and the ‘trucks’ case has to be cleared for the reputation of the armed forces, the police and the judiciary, as well as Croatia as a state – Simonovic said in a written statement for the Croatian news agency Hina.

As police filed charges, they estimated that there was justified suspicion that a criminal act had been committed. The judiciary is taking over the case in which the principle of innocent until found guilty by final verdict applies, the minister said.

Since the charges relate to crime that is in the field of USKOK (Office for the Prevention of Corruption and Organised Crime), USKOK will determine if there is founded suspicion and if it assesses there is, it will launch an investigation and submit the charges for confirmation.

Simonovic also said that the differences between the conclusions of a parliamentary commission that investigated the case and subsequent criminal charges are an indication of independence and professional work of the police and USKOK. He also added that the parliamentary commission had a different mandate, different sources of information and different techniques and methods of acting than the police and USKOK.

- In acting in this case, the new law on police powers and the Law on Criminal Proceedings are applied, which, I believe, will enable fast and efficient action and will help all dilemmas to definitely be resolved – Minister Simonovic said in his statement.

Frmr Def. Min.: If Charged, It Will Be Political