Plenković: Consultations on a new Minister of Defense begin on Monday

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković announced on Sunday that consultations regarding a new Minister of Defense will begin tomorrow, following the dismissal of former minister Mario Banožić due to his involvement in a traffic accident that resulted in one fatality.

– We will start consultations about the new minister tomorrow – said the Prime Minister to reporters after visiting Interliber.

When asked if Zdravko Jakop is a candidate for the ministerial position, he reiterated that ‘according to the law, he, as a long-time state secretary, is authorized to perform duties related to the normal functioning of the Ministry of Defense, and we will start consultations about the new minister tomorrow’.

He confirmed that Deputy Prime Minister Tomo Medved visited Banožić, who is receiving treatment at KBC Osijek.

Medved was in Osijek yesterday afternoon, he visited him, Plenković said, noting that Banožić is ‘currently in a condition that remains concerning’.

– He is recovering from serious bodily injuries – he said, adding that the Government is in contact with his wife and doctors.

When asked if Medved told him that he is no longer a minister, he replied that Banožić ‘was not contactable in that way’.

He announced that he will also visit Banožić, ‘we just have to choose the right moment for that’.

The Prime Minister also stated that it is not for him to comment on information regarding whether Banožić was under the influence of alcohol.

– I will not comment on that, you have doctors, the police, it is not for me to comment on, I have not heard anything like that – he stated.

When asked about criticisms that Banožić should have been dismissed earlier, he responded that he did not notice that political opponents were overly critical.

– I have the impression that they praised the move, they wake up the next day, they have to say something, so they make things up – said the Prime Minister.