Supreme Court President Djuro Sessa said on Friday he had initiated proceedings under the Judicial Code of Ethics against judges from Split who attended a party in a restaurant, but added that for now there were no grounds for disciplinary action.​

Sessa filed complaints with Split’s County Court against judges Miho Mratovic, Dinko Mesin and Bruno Klein, who is also the court’s president, and Municipal Court judge Tomislav Zlodre, as well as with the Administrative Court against its president, judge Silvio Covic.

A video of the party that was released by the media showed that it was “an environment and an atmosphere which gives the impression of impropriety,” Sessa said.

The release of the video of former footballer Ivica Mornar’s birthday party held in late January in a restaurant in Kastela, owned by businessman-turned-politician Zeljko Kerum, elicited numerous reactions in public because the guests included Klein, Covic, Mratovic, Zlodre and Split County Court spokesman Dinko Mesin.

Sessa said violations of COVID measures were “contrary to the standard of judges’ behaviour and do not contribute to the reputation and dignity of courts and the judicial calling.”

Supreme Court reminds judges of Code of Ethics

The Supreme Court said in a press release that judges must always watch their behaviour both in and out of the courtroom. The standards of what is appropriate and judges’ obligations in that regard are stipulated by the Judicial Code of Ethics and are higher than for persons who are not judges, it added.

“We call on judges to take into account, scrupulously and with particular attention, any situation in which their conduct could seem inappropriate and to follow the principles defined in the Judicial Code of Ethics,” the press release said.

Speaking to the Croatian state agency Hina, Sessa said that in this case there was no need to ask the judges concerned for “additional explanations because everything is more or less clear.”

The Split-Dalmatia County Police told Hina they would look into the matter together with the authorities supervising the work of hospitality establishments and compliance with the decisions of the national COVID-19 response team.

Asked if any action would be taken against those who attended the party and the restaurant owner, the Split-Dalmatia County civil protection authority said it had not received a request for permission to hold a gathering.

The authority said no punishment mechanisms were within its remit, adding that COVID measures “apply to all without exemption” and that if they were violated, “no one must be exempt from punishment.”

Kerum said on social media he did not invite anyone to the restaurant and that he was not in contact with any of the people concerned, even Mornar, adding that one of those present had asked him if Mornar could come with his football friends.

Judges say they didn’t know Kerum would be there

The judges concerned said they did not know that Kerum would be in the restaurant. They said the arrangement was for ten friends, whom Mornar had invited to his birthday party, to come to the restaurant.

The first to leave, allegedly, was Mesin. He would not make any comment, while Klein said he arrived at Mornar’s invitation and stayed for an hour. “Had I known everything, I wouldn’t have come,” he told the press.