Home / Media and Publications / Lovrin: The Number of Corruption Verdicts Increased by 120 Percent

Lovrin: The Number of Corruption Verdicts Increased by 120 Percent

The reduction in the number of unresolved court cases by more than half a million, enforcement cases by 79 percent, and land registry cases by 60 percent are key indicators that the judicial reform is heading in the right direction, and the consistent implementation of the anti-corruption program is evidenced by a 120 percent increase in the number of verdicts for corrupt acts, reported today Justice Minister Ana Lovrin.

Presenting data that, as she stated at a press conference, confirm the positive results of the judicial reform, she said that the time for property registration has been reduced from 900 days, two years ago, to an average of 63 days, that mortgages are registered within seven days, and that almost all cadastral data have been digitized, allowing online access to all 16 million cadastral parcels. A stronger oversight of the work of the judiciary and state attorney’s office, a better code of judicial and prosecutorial ethics, and improved work of the judicial inspection, which conducted 77 inspections resulting in the dismissal of three court presidents, two resignations, and four who were not re-elected, contribute to the better functioning of the judicial bodies, the minister said.

She emphasized that all judges and state attorneys have submitted their asset declarations to the Ministry, the transfer of cases from overloaded to less burdened courts has continued, and it has also been enabled for judges to be assigned to other courts up to 50 kilometers away without consent. The minister praised the introduction of a unified court case management system, known as e-case, which, she emphasized, has improved judicial procedures and allowed for constant insight into the circulation of court files. She announced that by the end of the year, e-case should also be introduced at the Supreme Court and the High Commercial Court, as well as at the county courts in Zagreb and Pula.

She stated that in just over a year of implementing the National Anti-Corruption Program, the achieved results are “not sufficient,” but they are a step forward in the fight against corruption, as indicated by the 120 percent increase in the number of verdicts for corrupt criminal acts and the fact that almost all resulted in unconditional prison sentences. She added that penalties for receiving and giving bribes have been tightened, budget allocations for USKOK and other bodies responsible for combating corruption have been increased, and amendments to several laws have enabled these bodies to operate more effectively. (H)