President Milanović: There are serious security hurdles to Ivan Turudić’s appointment; the Prime Minister may not be aware, but the information is available to him

“I know some things, and other things were documented. In the case of that character – and I can’t refer to him in any other way – serious security hurdles exist. There are serious security hurdles and for now I am giving Prime Minister Plenković the benefit of the doubt. I am starting from the fact that he may not be aware, but he must be informed because (this information) is available to him, as well as to me. I will wait a few more days in the hope that the man is working in good faith and that this is all a mistake. Quite simply, Turudić can’t take up (that post). If he does, we will all later see what we will do. I certainly cannot prevent this by force, but since I have the honour to serve and the responsibility to serve and protect personal freedoms, these are things I need to talk about,” the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović said today, commenting on the Government’s proposal for Parliament to elect judge Ivan Turudić as the State Attorney General.

“I can’t do everything, but I know a lot because I am the President of the Republic. I will wait another day or two in the hope that the Prime Minister will use all the resources at his disposal, starting from the principles of duty and honour,” added the President, explaining that Turudić’s appointment is “something that only Plenković can stop.” “Some things were not brought to his attention. That man should have stopped being a judge a long time ago. Now he is being pushed through, installed, and not elected by the citizens. He is the chosen one. He is coming for power, and someone is taking a nap,” said President Milanović.

When asked whether he had any knowledge about the security checks related to Turudić, the President responded that it was “deep knowledge” and confirmed awareness of events, some of which are documented. “Otherwise, I would say things based on my memory, which is quite precise. But, I have both. My memory helped me clearly reconstruct some things. “This is the most serious situation of this kind that Croatia has been in for the last thirty years,” warned the President.