The Judicial Council of the Supreme Criminal Court (VKS) has rejected a request by the President of the VKS, Zeljko Horvatovic, to initiate proceedings for violation of the Code of Judicial Honour against Ivan Turudic, until recently a judge of this Court of Appeal, who will take office as State Attorney-General on Monday.

The VKS, which only reveals Turudic’s initials, said that on 7 May, the Judicial Council examined the collected material and the prerequisites for further action in relation to Horvatovic’s complaint alleging an offence against the dignity of the judicial profession.

The Court of Appeal said the session was held with the consent of the President of the Supreme Court, Radovan Dobronic.

Content of the complaint “incomplete and incomprehensible”

The session ruled that the content of the complaint indicated that it was incomplete and incomprehensible because it lacked clear information about the timing and a description of the act that constituted a possible violation of the Code of Judicial Ethics, as well as that this could not be established even after obtaining the relevant documents from the broadcasters N1, RTL and Nova TV and the competent judicial authorities.

The Council therefore decided, in accordance with the General Administrative Procedure Act, to return the complaint to the applicant as it could not be processed and to order him to remedy the deficiencies in question and to resubmit an amended complaint within 15 days, failing which the complaint would be dismissed.

The VKS notes that the complainant made a submission to the Judicial Council on 16 May, in which he pointed out that the complaint contained a clear reason and a complete timeframe for the decision on it.

The complainant specified that the complaint refers to statements made by Turudic before and after his appointment as State Attorney-General in the broadcasts of the aforementioned channels concerning his meetings with former football mogul Zdravko Mamic at the time when Turudic was a judge at the Zagreb District Court and Mamic was under investigation.

VKS: Time frame of Turudic’s television appearances not specified

The VKS further states that at a meeting of its Council on 22 May, it was unanimously decided that it was not clear from the content of the complaint what the violation of the Code of Judicial Ethics consisted of, i.e. whether Turudic’s statements to the media before and after his appointment as State Attorney-General were considered a violation of the Code, or whether it was his public statements that the meetings took place, or the meetings themselves.

The VKS emphasises that the time frame before and after Turudic’s appointment as State Attorney-General is completely undetermined, as is information about the date and names of the television programmes in question, although this information was requested from the broadcasters in question.

An appeal against the decision of the Council of Judges of the VKS can be lodged within eight days of notification. The Ethics Council of the Supreme Court will decide on the appeal.