POLICE AND PROSECUTORS TO ESTABLISH

UNCLAS ZAGREB 000319 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KCRM HR SUBJECT: POLICE AND PROSECUTORS TO ESTABLISH INVESTIGATIVE TASK FORCE VS. ORGANIZED CRIME ¶1. SUMMARY AND COMMENT: After months of negotiations, the Ministry of Interior and the Deputy Attorney General confirmed to Embassy Zagreb's SEED-funded ICITAP (International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program) organized crime advisor March 8 their firm plans to establish an investigative task force. An agreement in late 2005 was delayed due to a complete change in administration at the Police Directorate. The new administration has now committed to the project, and is very enthusiastic. The case chosen will be one that involves organized crime and/or corruption, with a potential for identifying and seizing illegal assets. Promoting the task force concept has been a joint effort by ICITAP and the EU-funded judicial twinning partner from Spain, who is an experienced prosecutor assigned to advise USKOK (the anti-organized crime division of the State Attorney's Office) on organized crime prosecutions. Standing up this task force demonstrates good progress in Post's fundamental ICITAP program goal of turning the police of Croatia from responders into actors in the battle against crime and corruption. END SUMMARY AND COMMENT ¶2. The task force will consist of police investigators from the organized crime section, one or two prosecutors from USKOK, and investigators from the financial crimes investigative unit. The USKOK prosecutor will be the liaison between the financial investigators and the organized crime investigators, as they are working for two separate ministries and ministers. This will be considered a "pilot project", and the police will be mentored by ICITAP, while the prosecutors will be mentored by the Spanish adviser. All involved will meet continuously as the case progresses, making suggestions on methodology and investigative philosophy. The goal will be to encourage the Croatians to approach this case by targeting the entire criminal enterprise. U.S. and Spanish advisors will help them to identify past historical crimes that were committed by the organization and its members, and to locate their illegal assets. The Croatian task force will learn how to prove a connection between past criminal acts and illegal proceeds, and will be encouraged to proactively seize assets in an effort to shut down the entire target criminal organization. FRANK