ZAGREB, Sept 23, 2020 – Commenting on the latest criticism in the media and by politicians regarding the Janaf scandal probe, the DORH state prosecutor’s office said on Wednesday that a democracy recognises a right to express criticism, however, some of the objections to DORH’s work transgress acceptable standards.
“In every democratic society there is a right or there should be the right to express criticism about the work of institutions, including the work of judicial bodies. However, some critical comments, which include underestimation and accusations of the work of DORH and the USKOK anti-corruption office that we have seen over the past few days, transgress acceptable standards in a democratic society that respects the rule of law and tripartite division of government power as the highest value guaranteed by the Constitution,” DORH said in a press release.
Pace and method of work depends on evidence collected
DORH said that it works independently based on the Constitution and other regulations and that it always acts exclusively within its legal framework.
DORH underlined that the duties and tasks of DORH and USKOK are to conduct investigations, and reveal crime, in cooperation with the police, and bring to justice perpetrators whose convictions are then based on laws.
Unverified information is disseminated to obstruct work of criminal proceedings
“After a decision is made to conduct an investigation which, pursuant to legal provisions, explains the reasons for suspicion that the suspects have committed a crime, the contents of that decision become accessible to all stakeholders in the procedure.
“The Penal Code gives every defendant the right to a defence that they consider to be most favourable to their case and often release unverified and incomplete information with the aim of obstructing procedures, which is what we are witnessing now,” DORH said on its web site.
Attempts to discredit the work of the state prosecutor certainly does not contribute to efforts of DORH to successfully do its job, DORH underscored.
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