President Milanović on Appointment of Ivan Turudić: It is terrible for Croatia, a national disaster

The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović commented on Wednesday on the appointment of Ivan Turudić as the State Attorney General. “This is the first time since Tito that the party participates in this way in the election of the chief state prosecutor. It is terrible for Croatia, a national disaster,” said the President, adding that the entire election process was a “brazen farce.” “Whoever voted for him today does not love this country, is an enemy of Croatia,” President Milanović told the press.

The President reminded that he sent to Prime Minister Plenković SOA (Security and Intelligence Agency) documents, from which it is evident “what kind of character” we are dealing with. Regarding the publication of the correspondence between Ivan Turudić and Josipa Rimac in the media, he said the following: “The whole correspondence between Madame Pompadour from Knin and Turudić is in fact superfluous. But thank God they published it. Perhaps some private matters should not have been published. Everything else indicates that this is a person who should have been the subject of DORH’s (State Attorney’s Office) interest for a reason. And now the issue of why no one acted in 2015 is raised as an argument. Well, because I was Prime Minister, not a terrorist or a dictator. You can’t order DORH to initiate a proceeding.”

“The publication demonstrates the value and possibilities for making such things public. Because, the public would have been deprived of information about what kind of scoundrel we are dealing with. And now they would prohibit it. I call for resistance to the oppressors. According to Plenković, it should not be published, but it is information that the public should know about. Whoever is convicted will be pardoned while I am the President,” said President Milanović, reacting to comments made by the Prime Minister, who criticized the fact that the correspondence was made public.

The President further commented on Ivan Turudić’s appointment: “Now this political clique has imposed a State Attorney General elected by the Party, who will judge according to the interests of the Party, who is aligned with the Party and does not hide it. As the President of the County Court, he found time to secretly meet with Zdravko Mamić, when the Court launched an investigation, because he did not know that he was under SOA surveillance. But he was arrogant. He thought his phone was tapped, but didn’t know SOA was monitoring him. The most terrible thing is, these people found themselves in such circumstances. And – I haven’t posed the question yet – who arranged their first meeting? They did this through intermediaries, not through direct communication. He said they drove around for half an hour; they didn’t, but rather for an hour and a half. In every corporation, in every organized system and country, one would need to report and document such contacts, especially a police or law enforcement officer. But, like a criminal and scoundrel, he is hanging around in the dark with a man who is under investigation and who is out free only thanks to a two million euro bail.”

Since Turudić received a security clearance on three occasions, journalists asked the President to comment on it. “That is another topic we will discuss because the work is not being done well,” the President replied. Commenting on Turudić’s security clearance from 2019, President Milanović believes that “the work was not done there; it was in someone’s interest not to make waves. That man should not have received a security clearance under any circumstances.” When asked if he plans to take any action because of security clearance processes that were not, in his opinion, performed properly, the President replied affirmatively, without further elaborating. “I published what the public needs to know, that which is of paramount public interest,” added the President.

President Milanović warned again that “it is in Plenković’s interest to prevent information from being leaked, to prevent the people from knowing with what kind of lowlifes he is collaborating.” “Now we have a law that seeks to prevent it, so that we don’t see what kind of rednecks and frauds are collaborating with the government. He works with people from the party, for the party. Well, that was the case back in the late 80s, when the protégé went to summer schools in Kumrovec. During Tuđman’s time this gradually came to an end, and after Račan and Sanader it disappeared. Afterwards, no one would even think of appointing someone associated with a political party to such a position. This is a desperate, violent act. It would cost us membership in the EU if we were in any monitoring or negotiations phase. This is the lowest point of Croatia’s political life since I have been involved in politics,” concluded President Milanović.