ZAGREB, February 28, 2020 – Conflict of Interest Commission chair Nataša Novaković said on Friday the Commission was surprised by the speed and coordination of the judges working on the Pokaz and Helsinki cases over which Prime Minister Andrej Plenković filed two suits against the Commission.
Novakovic told reporters every official had the right to take legal action against a decision by the Commission. She was commenting on the two suits Plenković filed at the Administrative Court against decisions in which the Conflict of Interest Commission found that he violated the principle of conscientious and transparent conduct.
Novakovic said she did not consider the suits as pressure on the Commission but as an option for every plaintiff who was dissatisfied with a decision by the Commission. She recommended doing so in court and not by publicly attacking the Commission
Novakovic said she would insist that a hearing be held. The prime minister, according to the media, asked that a judgment be handed down in writing.
She said a hearing was scheduled for Thursday and the Commission received a summons three days ago, so it requested that the hearing be postponed. The same day the Administrative Court informed the Commission there would be no hearing as the plaintiff had opted against it, she said, adding that she hoped a hearing would be held before a judgment was delivered because the Commission had the same rights as the plaintiff.
The Friday issue of Jutarnji List daily says the purpose of one of the lawsuits is to contest the Commission’s decision concerning the appointment of Plenković’s close friend Igor Pokaz as ambassador to the United Kingdom.
The other lawsuit is aimed at contesting the Commission’s decision in a case related to a trip of a senior government delegation to Helsinki, where they attended the annual assembly of the European People’s Party.
More news about conflict of interest issues can be found in the Politics section.
