Parliamentary Committee on Internal Affairs and National Security gives support to Daniel Markić as the new director of the Security Intelligence Agency.
The Parliamentary Committee on Internal Affairs and National Security decided today to support the nomination of Daniel Markić as the new director of the Security Intelligence Agency (SOA), report Jutarnji List and Večerni List on May 4, 2016.
This decision marked the official end to a three-month long saga about who will be the director of SOA, which began in early February when President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović signed the dismissal of former director Dragan Lozančić due to what she described as a “loss of confidence”. However, Prime Minister Tihomir Orešković delayed putting his signature to the decision, which was necessary for it to become final.
Interestingly, according to media reports, Markić today received support from MOST and opposition MPs, while HDZ voted against his appointment. Six PMs voted in favour and four were against.
In an interview earlier today, Prime Minister Orešković commented on the situation with the Security Intelligence Agency. He said that former director Lozančić resigned last week and that the nomination for the new director was underway. I hope that now we will put this behind us and move forward, said the Prime Minister.
"The President has lost her confidence in Dragan Lozančić and that is her position. I asked for some time to make a right decision and I think we have finally solved it in a fair way", said Orešković. Asked about the fact that Lozančić not only lost trust of the President but that she requested his dismissal due to alleged violations of the law on security and intelligence system, the Prime Minister replied: "I have not seen any data or results which would confirm it. Therefore, we have made this decision together and we have moved on.”
Daniel Markić has the complete confidence of the Prime Minister. "The man has experience, he took part in the Homeland War and I am convinced that he will be a great leader of SOA”, said the Prime Minister.
