USKOK
USKOK ( Croatian Ured za suzbijanje korupcije i organiziranog kriminaliteta ; German Authority for the Fight against Corruption and Organized Crime ) is an authority of the Croatian Public Prosecutor's Office (Croatian Državno odvjetništvo Republike DORHrvatske ) specializing in the fight against corruption and organized crime . USKOK was founded in 2001 as a result of the understanding that the phenomenon of corruption and organized crime should be given increased and systematic attention in all its segments, through education, prevention and targeted anti-corruption measures.
The seat of the authority is in Zagreb . The authority's area of responsibility extends to the entire territory of Croatia . The management of the agency's activities is subordinate to the director appointed by the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Croatia after obtaining the opinion of the Minister of Justice and the College of Prosecutors. The vice attorney general or a county attorney or his representative can be appointed as USKOK director if he / she meets the criteria for appointment as vice attorney general. The director's mandate lasts for four years with the possibility of renewed nomination. In the performance of official duties, the director has the rights and duties of a public prosecutor. The activities of the public prosecutor's office within USKOK are carried out by the director and his representative. These are supported in their work by senior advisors, consultants and technical experts. The current USKOK director is Dinko Cvitan . The Croatian Attorney General is currently Mladen Bajić .
Since 2009, USKOK counterparts have existed both in the Croatian criminal police and in the Croatian judiciary . In the directorate of the Croatian criminal police, the special authority was deliberately given a similar name: Police National USKOK Authority (Croatian Policijski nacionalni USKOK , PNUSKOK ). In the judiciary, judicial departments for criminal cases were set up under the jurisdiction of USKOK (Croatian: Sudski odjeli za postupanje u predmetima kaznenih djela iz nadležnosti USKOK-a ).
Jurisdiction
USKOK deals with the fight against corruption and organized crime. The law on the establishment of the USKOK authority lists all criminal offenses that fall within its jurisdiction. All other types of criminal offense are the responsibility of the public prosecutor.
The authority assumes the duties of the public prosecutor's office for the following criminal offenses, among others (the exact definitions of offenses are listed in the Croatian Criminal Code):
- Abuse of office in bankruptcy proceedings , disloyal competition in foreign trade, abuse of office by government officials, unlawful intervention, acceptance of bribes, acceptance of bribes in the field of economic activities, active bribery of both government officials and economic activities
- unconstitutional deprivation of liberty , kidnapping , extortion , human trafficking and slavery , illegal transfer of persons across the state border, robbery , coercion , embezzlement of illegally acquired amounts of money (" money laundering ") and unlawful monetary claims, if these crimes were committed by a group or a criminal organization
- Intoxicant abuse
- Association for the purpose of committing criminal offenses, including all offenses committed by this group or criminal organization, except for offenses against the Republic of Croatia or the Croatian Armed Forces
- Offenses related to the activities of a group or criminal organization for which a prison sentence of more than three years is provided, and if the offense was committed on the territory of two or more states or if a significant part of the preparation or planning occurs has been committed on the territory of another state
The authority is also responsible for the conduct of criminal proceedings against the organizers of groups or criminal organizations in the following areas: perpetration of crimes, their instigation, illicit gold trading, evasion of customs supervision.
USKOK is also responsible for the following criminal offenses in connection with the commission of a criminal offense: embezzlement of unlawfully obtained funds, prevention of evidence, blackmailing of constitutional officials, hindrance of an official in the performance of official duties, aggression against an official, disclosure of the identity of a protected witness.
The criminal law terms of a group or a criminal organization are regulated by the criminal code. A group of people consists of at least three people who are linked to the perpetration of criminal offenses, either permanently or temporarily, each of these persons contributing to the perpetration of the crime. A criminal organization is understood to be the structured association of at least three people, which exists for a certain period of time and is active with the common goal of committing one or more criminal offenses, to obtain a direct or indirect financial or other material benefit or with the goal of Fulfilling and maintaining the supervision of individual economic or other activities, whereby these are criminal offenses to the extent of a prison sentence of at least four years. Criminal organizations are the basis of the concept of organized crime.
Investigations
All institutions of state power and all legal persons who find out circumstances and details in their environment or while carrying out their activities that indicate a criminal offense within the jurisdiction of USKOK are obliged to do so, especially in the case of suspected criminal activities by at least three people to file a criminal complaint or to notify USKOK.
All files in the jurisdiction of USKOK are strictly confidential.
Criminal proceedings for offenses under the jurisdiction of USKOK are carried out by the County Courts of Zagreb , Osijek , Rijeka and Split .
USKOK operations or examinations
Below are some of the more well-known USKOK operations, some of which have not yet been dealt with under criminal law:
- Operation Maestro (2008 or Tri tenora , German Operation Three Tenors ): In connection with allegations of corruption in the Croatian banking sector and in particular with regard to the management of the Croatian privatization fund (HFP, Croat. Hrvatski fond za privatizaciju ), which among other things was used to arrest the three vice-presidents of the Privatization Fund (also known as the Three Tenors ) led. A broader topic is, for example, the illegal enrichment of certain personalities in the transition phase to a market economy. The investigations also included the business area of Hypo Group Alpe Adria .
- Investigations in the " Dragulji Affair " (2008): In connection with investigations into the organized arms trade during the war in Croatia . The investigations led, among other things, to the extradition of the main accused, former General Vladimir Zagorec, from Austria. Croatian President Stjepan Mesić also tried to get an extradition . In the ongoing investigations it should be determined, among other things, whether and how a suitcase with jewels should have been lost (Croatian: dragulji stands for jewels ).
- Investigations in the " Affair Brodosplit " (2008): Investigations into the former privatization efforts of the shipyards " Brodosplit " and " Brodotrogir " in Split and Trogir. The investigation also includes alleged involvement of former Prime Minister Ivo Sanader in the matter.
- Operation Indeks (2009): In connection with various allegations of corruption against professors and students at the University of Zagreb (the Croatian study book is called "Indeks", from the Latin index collegium).
- Operation Gruntovec : In connection with the activities of the cadastral authority (Croatian gruntovnica ) in Zagreb.
- Investigations into the " Kamioni Affair ": Investigations into procurement activities in the Croatian armed forces led to the lifting of the immunity of the then incumbent Croatian Defense Minister Berislav Rončević . This involved the procurement of trucks through the company "Eurokamioni" (in Croatian kamion stands for truck ).
- Operation Podravka (2009): In connection with the business activities of the Croatian food company Podravka , which among other things led to the arrest of the then incumbent Croatian Minister of Economics, Damir Polančec . The matter is also referred to in the Croatian media as the "Spice Affair" (Croatian afera Spice ).
- Operation HŽ (2009): In connection with the business activities of the Croatian Railway " Hrvatske željeznice " (HŽ), which led to the arrest of some executive board members.
- Operation Nesklad (German Operation Inconsistency , 2009): In connection with the business activities of the Croatian motorway operating company Hrvatske autoceste doo and the business activities of the construction company Skladgradnja from Imotski.
- Operation Bankomat (2009): In connection with the business activities of the Croatian Postbank ( Croat . Hrvatska poštanska banka , HPB). The operation resulted in the arrest of Josip Protega , the chairman of the board of the Croatian Postbank.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Zakon o Uredu za suzbijanje korupcije i organiziranog kriminaliteta. Narodne novine, October 5, 2001.
- ↑ USKOK. Uvodna riječ. (Last accessed: January 10, 2010)
- ↑ DORH. Uvodna riječ Glavnog državnog odvjetnika. (Last accessed: January 10, 2010)
- ↑ Antikorupcija.hr, Croatian Ministry of Justice, "Izgradnja institucija zaduženih za suzbijanje korupcije" ( Memento of the original from July 17, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
