News

ZAGREB, 19 Feb 2022 - The Croatian Journalists' Association (HND) on Saturday expressed its concern over, as it said, a dangerous ruling pending appeal by Zagreb County Court against Hanza Media ordering the company to pay HRK 250,000 in compensation to Zadar Judge Ivan Marković for emotional distress. The ruling was delivered on 11 February by Judge Helena Frigo Bomeštar. Judge Marković ruled in a case in 2019 on sentencing for five youths accused of rape, sexual abuse and recording a fifteen-year-old girl from Zadar's environs. Judge Marković released the five youths immediately after questioning, but a panel changed his decision and order their detention. Marković's decision…

ZAGREB, 19 Feb 2022 - Construction Minister Darko Horvat said he was not guilty of abuse of office during Saturday's questioning at the USKOK anti-corruption office, according to his attorney, while USKOK demanded he be remanded in custody. Horvat's attorney Vladimir Terešak told the press his client answered all the questions. "He believes that he did not commit the crime he is being accused of and that no one made any illegal gains." Later today a Zagreb County Court judge will decide whether to remand Horvat in custody. Terešak said he did not know on what grounds USKOK was demanding remand. He said Horvat was…

ZAGREB, 19 Feb 2022 - The State Attorney's Office (DORH) said on Saturday that it and the attorney general would not comment on Prime Minister Andrej Plenković's call on DORH earlier today to inform the public about the reasons for the urgent arrest of Construction Minister Darko Horvat. The competent state attorney's office and the USKOK anti-corruption office are taking action in line with the law, DORH said, adding that when the legal conditions have been met, the competent state attorney's office will provide the public with the relevant information. Horvat was brought to USKOK's headquarters after 2.30 pm after he was arrested…

ZAGREB, 19 Feb 2022 - Yugoslavia broke up because of the civic state concept being advocated for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman said on Saturday, adding that Croatia's authorities have made the international community see that such an approach is harmful. He was speaking in Munich, where he is attending a security conference which is also discussing the future of the Western Balkans and BiH. Grlić Radman was commenting on a recent initiative by three members of the last Presidency of the former Yugoslavia, Stjepan Mesić, Bogić Bogićević and Vasil Tupurkovski, who propose abandoning the Dayton agreement and the…

ZAGREB, 19 Feb 2022 - Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Peđa Grbin said on Saturday, in reference to the arrest of Minister Darko Horvat, that after more than 20 years a member of the government has been arrested, underscoring that the only thing that can save Croatia now is an election. "Today, after more than 20 years, a member of the Croatian government has been arrested. A minister who is in office has been arrested for something that he did as a member of the government. Not just any minister, but the one who hasn't done anything to help the people in…

ZAGREB, 19 Feb 2022 - People's Party - Reformists president Radimir Čačić said on Saturday the arrested Construction Minister Darko Horvat has to leave the government and that the "further scope and results of the police operation will be the basis for the party's decision on supporting the Andrej Plenković cabinet." Čačić told Hina the fact that this was the first arrest of a minister in office in Croatian history spoke enough and that it should be neither underestimated nor downplayed. He said the prime minister evidently knew nothing about the police operation and that this showed that he "neither…

January 19th, 2022 - Croatian Prime Minister Blames USKOK for Ruining Croatia's Spectacular Week Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković held an impromptu news conference following the arrest of Construction Minister Darko Horvat. The Prime Minister started the news conference by making an overview of the great week Croatia just had. He goes on to mention “major political events” such as the arrival of the USS Harry Truman aircraft carrier in Split, government inflation measures, EU Fund Absorption extension, and contract signing for the Lekenik-Sisak section of the A11 motorway. After he used the opening few minutes to commend the work of…

ZAGREB, 19 Feb 2022 - Croatia reported 3,525 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, while 44 people have died as a consequence of the disease, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Saturday. Currently, there are 27,432 active cases in the country, including 1,707 hospitalised patients, 125 of whom are on ventilators while 16,387 are self-isolating. Since the outbreak of the pandemic in Croatia, a total of 1,039,157 people have become infected, of whom 14,773 have died while 996,952 have recovered.  As of 17 February, a total of 5,178,043 doses of a vaccine have been administered and 56.78% of the total population or 67.54%…

ZAGREB, 19 Feb 2022 - The labour union of construction workerss (SGH) on Saturday condemned the fact that workers in two Turkish companies working on the reconstruction of the Križevci-Koprivnica railway had been laid off simply because they had contacted the union who informed them of their rights. "Two Turkish companies engaged in the reconstruction of the Križevci-Koprivnica railway line, laid off a group of workers on Thursday simply because they had a brief meeting with the SGH who had informed the workers of their rights pertaining to the collective agreement in construction and providing them with leaflets during their lunch break," the union…

ZAGREB, 19 Feb 2022 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Saturday held an impromptu news conference following the arrest of Construction Minister Darko Horvat and called on the Office of State Attorney-General (DORH) to explain the case in greater detail. Construction Minister Darko Horvat was driven in a police car from his hometown in Međimurje to the Zagreb headquarters of the Office for Suppression of Corruption and Organised Crime (USKOK) for further questioning on Saturday afternoon after his house in Donja Dubrava was searched by the police. Horvat's lawyer, Vladimir Terešak, told the national HTV broadcaster that the minister had been arrested and…