Turudić: ‘Croatia knows where Pavlek is, but I’m not ready to share it with you’

– Već We have ordered the inspection in the Diving Association as well. Namely, the DORH acts on the basis of criminal reports and knowledge gathered, for example, from media reports, so we check the allegations in the specific case as well. Now it’s a trend, criminal charges are filed, the media write about it, and we react to every criminal charge and every media statement about it. We check things and then decide whether we will process certain items or not. We mainly make meritorious state attorney’s decisions – said Turudi.

To mention the Chess Federation, Turudić learned from the newspaper.

– We will also check it – we will order an inspection and request the necessary documentation. Most often, we start by requesting the relevant documentation, and then proceed further. We’ll see, I don’t know yet – he said.

He said that it is a matter of time that the politicians said in one voice that the police and DORH investigate all alliances.

– It turns out that it is not as the critics claim and that the reputation of the State Attorney’s Office is increasing. Even the biggest critics, who often attack ad hominem, turn to us daily from the ranks of politics; they offer cooperation and information, which, of course, we accept and investigate. That’s a good thing. These are often well-founded criminal reports that contain specific information and point to further work, he adds.

He also referred to the mayor of Oroslavje, who started working as an investigator. He adds that he knows his last name is Šimunić and that he did not take the job of prosecutor. He welcomes his civic initiative and the reactions that have been received. He also believes that the pattern of behavior in alliances – that everyone extracts money through a third company – is not particularly imaginative.

– It is not particularly imaginative, but it should be noted: criminal law is a last resort. There is a lot of work to be done before criminal proceedings and prosecution. It would be good if all laws, all by-laws, statutes and regulations were revised. I think it is an unorganized forest that allows such things to happen, he said.

Considering the recent news that USKOK has entered a new institution, it is questionable whether people understand what these investigations are and how long they can last. He believes that criminal prosecution bodies often gave such an impression.

– You know, those large displays of computers with no connection, so people made conclusions based on that. The most common is the request for documentation; a courier or a letter is sent, and after that a bombastic headline appears in the media that USKOK has ‘invaded’ some institution. At least that’s not the case – explains Turudi.

He also explains that institutions do not need to know that they are being investigated.

– The content of the investigation is protected by Article 307a of the Criminal Code. Of course, we will not inform someone that special evidentiary actions are being conducted against him – these are secret surveillance and recording. Scouts fail relatively often. Searches are almost a synonym in criminal law for checking. A criminal report is filed or information is obtained in another way, and it is then checked.

He also referred to Vedran Pavlek, and said that Croatia had done everything it was supposed to and was required to do by law and international regulations.

– We issued an international arrest warrant, we requested extradition. The extradition goes express only in the case that the one who is wanted says: ‘Okay, I agree to be extradited.’ In the event that this is not the case, he has a number of legal remedies, adds Turudi.

Some say that Croatia released him from Turkey on purpose. How do you answer those criteria?

Regarding the rumors that Croatia deliberately let him out of Turkey, he said that Interpol has 196 members. Croatia issued an international warrant, and Interpol published that warrant. And then Croatia should say to each of the 196 members: ‘We were joking, you know, we didn’t ask for him.’ In addition to being sick, these are also rather stupid insinuations, Turudi said.

He adds that Croatia knows where he is, but is not ready to share it.

– Everything is taking place according to the regular course of things. Everything will be okay. It is very important to us that we performed certain evidentiary actions there, that we obtained certain documentation and mobile devices. It’s a big proof-of-concept, he explains. When asked ‘Has it arrived?’, he replied that it was on its way.

He also commented that Serbia is demanding that Ratko Mladi be released. released from prison due to illness.

– My attitude is expected. I would never release him, but we know that there were cases where people who were in much better health than Ratko Mladi were released from The Hague prison. We also know that some convicted war criminals in Croatia served their sentence until their last day in prison. They will decide how they will decide. I think it would be a very bad message if a man who was not actually responsible for all the crimes – I don’t know if he was responsible for any of the crimes he committed in Croatia – was released, no matter how seriously ill he was. I am sure that he has adequate medical care in prison – said Turudi.