Croatian President Zoran Milanovic, said in an interview with N1 television on Sunday that he will continue to warn about the case of Ivan Turudic, who he claims was illegally elected in parliament as State Attorney General, adding that he can still be stopped before he takes the oath.

“This level of degradation, where a noisemaker is pushed to the helm of the repressive apparatus, is unheard of in Croatia,” Milanovic said. Although he has not yet taken the oath, Turudic is already changing the laws, he said, explaining that he was referring to the lex AP and the intention to abolish the office of the European Prosecutor.

He reiterated several times that a security check is needed for the State Attorney General, which has not been done in Turudic’s case.

Turudic has a basic backgroud check from 2019.

He confident that it is neither possible nor logical that Turudic’s illegal actions were not known and that this should not have been included in the materials during the last check. “Turudic does not have a security check, he has a basic check for the Uskok judge from 2019.

“How was this not brought to the attention of the Supreme Court? Turudic and (PM Andrej) Plenkovic lie, lie and make things up. They lie twice in one day. They say there is a new background check? What kind? By the end of the day, they say there is none,” Milanovic said.

He also answered why he did not take any action in 2015, when, as prime minister, he had information about Turudic’s meeting with Zdravko Mamic.

“At that time he was the president of the county court and Uskok judge, he did not go up. How did he get to that position, ask his sponsors, in the end he became the president of the county court probably two weeks before I became the prime minister”.

He says that he asked the Security and Intelligence Agency (SOA) for details, but the findings of the SOA do not have the character of evidence in the proceedings. “It’s completely irrelevant why I didn’t do something, as if that absolves him of guilt,” he replied.

My duty is to watch over the functioning of the system and the legal order

He said that Turudic can do whatever he wants at State Attorney General, while he, on the other hand, cannot do much now to stop Turudic’s swearing in as Attorney General, but he will not stop.

“My duty is to watch over the functioning of the system and the legal order. Here, a man is chosen who will be arrested tomorrow and who is now recognized as the leader of the order. This same man almost became the president of the Supreme Court. At the last moment, something happened and Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic gave up on him,” Milanovic said.

“We mustn’t stop talking about this, and we must be loud. Turudic was illegally and unlawfully appointed in Parliament, and the law also obliges MPs,” Milanovic said.

He also said that he has not yet decided whether he will seek another presidential term. “When I decide, if I decide, I will say,” he said shortly.

Decision on conscription cannot be implemented without the commander-in-chief

Milanovic also referred to the announced introduction of conscription, saying that it is necessary to strengthen the professional army, but also that such a decision cannot be made without him as commander-in-chief.