Police union calls for removal of chief Milina over 'Directives' scandal in Šibenik
The police officers' union is demanding the removal of police chief Nikola Milina over his failure to protect a female police officer in the case known as the 'Directives' scandal.
Police officers' union: Milina must step down as head of police
The police officers' union has sent a lengthy statement to the Prime Minister and Interior Minister, as reported by 24sata, calling for the removal of police chief Nikola Milina, citing serious failures in leadership and the failure to protect a police officer from Šibenik in the case known as the 'Directives' scandal.
The matter stems from a trial that began on Tuesday before the Municipal Court in Karlovac. Sitting in the dock is Anna Dujić, daughter of the former head of the Croatian Forests Administration and prominent HDZ figure Nediljko Dujić. She faces charges of attempted coercion of a public official. Dujić has pleaded not guilty.
The police officer who reported her testified about events from July, during a major fire in the Skradin area, when she was—as she stated—performing fire site security on orders and protecting people's safety and property.
Initial report dismissed, indictment filed only after Turudić's intervention
The union recalled that the original criminal report filed by the police officer against Anna Dujić in Šibenik had been rejected. Only after intervention by chief state prosecutor Ivan Turudić and oversight by the State Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Croatia was it established that such a decision had been premature. The case was handed to another state prosecutor's office, an indictment was filed, and the Municipal Court in Karlovac confirmed it.
The union's statement raises the question of why the police officer, who had filed an official police report of the incident, had to file a criminal report herself two days later—instead of immediate action being taken based on her statement.
Station chief allegedly discouraged officer from filing report
A particularly serious allegation was raised at the hearing itself. The police officer testified in court that her then-superior, Joško Periša, chief of the Šibenik Traffic Police Station, discouraged her from filing the report and warned her of possible consequences—instead of standing behind her and taking all prescribed measures.
Periša, as the union points out, remains in a management position. As does Milina, who continues to head the police two years after the scandal emerged.
Five demands directed at Government and Minister
In the statement, which 24sata reports in full, the union has made five concrete demands:
1. That Interior Minister Dr Davor Božinović urgently review the responsibility of police chief Nikola Milina for the failure to provide appropriate protection to the police officer. 2. That a procedure be initiated for Milina's removal, or that his dismissal be recommended to the Government. 3. That an independent and comprehensive investigation be conducted to establish the responsibility of all managers who were involved in dealing with the police officer following the incident in question. 4. That particular investigation be made into the handling of her report, including the circumstances due to which the relevant state prosecutor's office allegedly was not presented with all relevant facts and statements. 5. That investigation be made into whether there were any pressures, attempts to discourage her, or other actions that might have discouraged her from reporting the offence.
"The problem is much bigger and suggests something is wrong at the very top of the police"
The union emphasises that this case can no longer be viewed as an isolated incident between a police officer and a citizen. "We believe that today it is no longer possible to view this case as an isolated incident between a police officer and a citizen, and that the problem here is much bigger and suggests that something is wrong at the very top of the police," the statement reads.
The organisation, which claims to have provided legal and union protection to the police officer from the beginning—through lawyer Ivan Gržić—insists that it expects the police chief to be the first to stand behind a police officer who is lawfully doing their job, rather than discouraging officers from reporting criminal offences or creating circumstances in which they feel unprotected.
"A police officer must know that the state will protect them when they act lawfully towards a citizen, regardless of their name, social position, political or other connections," the union stated.
Two years after the scandal emerged, the trial is still in its infancy, and the question of institutional responsibility remains open.
Source: 24sata