ZAGREB, Oct 20, 2020 – Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has sent a message to President Zoran Milanovic saying he did meet with police and prosecutorial representatives on Saturday because he personally wanted to see for himsef if a recording of the attack that occurred in St. Mark’s Square last week could be released.
Plenkovic confirmed that the meeting was held at his request and that the Interior Minister, the head of the Security-Intelligence Agency (SOA), the chief-of-police and the county prosecutor attended the meeting because he wanted to see if releasing the video recording would interfere and exclude it from any criminal proceedings.
He explained that the meeting was held because of numerous queries of what to do with the recording and that that decision could not be made without consulting stakeholders conducting the proceedings.
Considering that the police had conducted an inspection and submitted the case to the state prosecutor, a decision could be made from the legal aspect to release the recording to the media, said Plenkovic.
Commenting on a statement by President Milanovic on Monday that noone would find out about his travels by helicopter around the country because he was a protected person, Plenkovic said that when “someone does not wish to give an answer,” they declare it a secret. He added that he too is a protected person of equal ranking and that in the four years of his term in office he travelled by helicopter three times – to attend a military exercise on Dugi Otok, to inspect the situation with illegal migrants on Mt. Pljesivica and to Hrvatska Kostajnica following the disastrous floods.
“I do not see that the measures should be any different. I do not have any problems in saying that,” said Plenkovic presenting the government’s latest economic measures.
He added that he decides on the mode of travel together with his associates. “We are not dolls to be placed in some means of transport and then driven around,” he added.
He rejected allegations that the right wing of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) plans to initiate the president’s impeachment.
“Media have speculated that some right wing of the HDZ is planning to change the Constitution and launch the president’s impeachment. That’s not true. There is no such initiative… Tell anyone who is telling you that, that it is not true,” he concluded.
