Jelenić emphasized before the Committee members that work on corruption cases remains a priority for the DORH, alongside organized crime and war crimes cases. His goal, if elected, is to continue the development path of the DORH.
The impression is that reports are sitting in drawers, and we do not have that many drawers.
“I am aware of the public perception of the DORH’s work, which I have my opinion about, but it is important to take it into account,” Jelenić stated, adding that there is an impression that “reports are sitting in drawers, and we do not have that many drawers.”
>>> Bošnjaković: We Propose Dražen Jelenić as the New State Attorney
He is also aware that public perception is formed based on cases of corruption, war crimes, economic crime, and some general criminal cases such as murder, robbery, kidnapping, and rape.
“My intention is to revitalize the relationship between the DORH and the criminal police and strengthen the county State Attorney’s Offices, which are the backbone of the state attorney system,” Jelenić announced.
He described himself as a “child of the State Attorney’s Office” and stated that this is not a bad thing, as he has learned from older colleagues throughout his entire career, the last of whom was Cvitan. He said that, given his experience, Cvitan should be given the right place and tasks.
Branimir Bunjac from the Living Wall asked whether there had been any attempts to influence the DORH’s work and how he would react if politics tried to influence his work.
“Not to position myself, but I have been working on this principle for 25 years. Not only has there been political influence, but there has also been no influence on my reasoning and knowledge to conclude whether there is something in the cases or not,” Jelenić said.
>>> The Parliament Included the Proposal to Appoint Jelenić as Chief State Attorney on the Agenda
In response to Bunjac’s question about whether the Chief State Attorney works to maintain a slim parliamentary majority, Jelenić replied that “the DORH does not calculate with people and times.”
“The fact that some proceedings are linked to political events cannot be avoided. Next year there are European elections, there were local elections, something is always happening in political life, and if we dealt with that, we would not have time to accuse anyone,” Jelenić emphasized.
The fight against corruption and local sheriffs will continue.
He stated that “Cvitan’s paradigm” of “liberating local units from local sheriffs” will be further strengthened and that he will continue where Cvitan left off.
“Regarding the paradigm, not only local sheriffs but also tolerance towards any corruption, from local to state level, is unacceptable for the DORH,” he stated. He added that the DORH has not ceased working on cases of war profiteering and privatization.
Regarding efficiency in resolving war crimes cases, he emphasized that without the synergy of all who can collect evidence and data, from intelligence services, police, and the DORH, and in constructive cooperation with colleagues from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, there can be no quality work.
>>> Plenković Praised Jelenić’s Qualifications for Chief State Attorney
“I know that wherever possible, evidence is secured, even where we do not have known perpetrators. When we encounter a witness who can speak relevantly, their questioning is sought in the capacity of a witness, and a file is prepared for the moment when the police will discover the perpetrator,” Jelenić explained.
To HDZ’s Stevo Culej, who pointed out the large number of cases involving Croatian defenders and asked, “were we attacked or did we attack,” Jelenić responded that he understands his bitterness, adding that of the 3,500 individuals prosecuted for crimes during Operation Storm, the DORH has revised a large number of cases and withdrawn from them, so the number of prosecuted individuals is now much smaller.
Presenting the Government’s candidate, Justice Minister Dražen Bošnjaković emphasized that Jelenić’s election is not an act of hostility towards Dinko Cvitan, who remains in the system as Deputy Chief State Attorney.
