POLICE CHIEF BENKO CRITICAL OF INTERIOR MINISTER

C O N F I D E N T I A L ZAGREB 000563

SIPDIS

FOR EUR/SCE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/28/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM PINR KCRM HR
SUBJECT: POLICE CHIEF BENKO CRITICAL OF INTERIOR MINISTER
RONCEVIC'S LATEST ACTIONS

Classified By: Political Officer Chris Zimmer for reason 1.4 (b) & (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: In a July 25 courtesy call with incoming
Poloff, Director of Police Marijan Benko expressed deep
frustration with his boss, Interior Minister Roncevic, over
moves that weaken Benko's position within the Ministry.
Benko said he was irritated by Roncevic's requirement for him
to reapply as Director of Police and Roncevic's replacement
of the Zagreb Chief of Police with a personal friend. Benko
believes he will be reappointed but that the appointment will
likely remain unofficial for months because he expects delays
due to challenges from other candidates. Benko also said
that Roncevic is linked to organized crime and is currently
under investigation by the anticorruption and organized crime
office of the state prosecutor. END SUMMARY

Benko Reapplying to Keep His Current Job
--------------


2. (C) Incoming Poloff called on Croatian Police Director
Marijan Benko at his office in the Ministry of the Interior
(MOI) on July 25, 2008. After introductions, Benko
immediately began describing his problems with the Interior
Minister Berislav Roncevic, detailing the Minister's actions
that Benko views as undermining his authority and the
effectiveness of the police since Roncevic's move from
Ministry of Defense to MOI in January 2008.


3. (C) Benko confirmed media reports that Roncevic is
re-advertising Benko's position and is requiring that the
director reapply for his politically appointed position.
Benko, who worked as a career police officer, would have to
undergo a physical and mental health exam, in a competitive
selection process. He stated that he will reapply and will
fight to retain his position, but that if he loses the
selection process he will likely return to the private
sector.


4. (C) Benko expects that associates of Roncevic will apply
for his position but that Roncevic will likely reappoint him
so as not to risk potential political fallout or anger from
the Police Union, whom Benko claims is strongly against this
reapplication process. Benko also said that he does not
think Prime Minister Sanader would allow Benko to be
replaced, but he expressed concern that Sanader may be
unaware of the extent to which Roncevic was seeking to
control the police. Benko believes, however, that his
reappointment will take a great deal of time to complete
because he thinks that candidates allied to Roncevic will
appeal the appointment, thus initiating a long process that
could delay his official appointment for months, further
weakening his authority over the police force.


5. (C) Benko complained that he has already lost a great deal
of authority since Roncevic, without consulting Benko, fired
Zagreb Chief of Police Marijan Tamurad and replaced him with
a personal friend, Ivica Tolusic, in June 2008. Tolusic now
reports directly to Roncevic, according to Benko, bypassing
the official chain of command. Benko's authority has
effectively been reduced to overseeing less that half of
police operations, he said, because Zagreb police handle
sixty percent of all cases in Croatia.


6. (C) Benko also complained that Roncevic was not releasing
all the funds allocated in the budget for police operations.
He further asserted that the Minister of Science, Education
and Sports, Dragan Primorac is very close to Roncevic and
that they were working together to move the Forensic Center
and DNA lab, currently part of MOI, to the Ministry of
Science, Education and Sports. (NOTE: Primorac is a forensic
scientist with extensive experience, including in the U.S.
END NOTE.)

Allegations of Corruption
--------------


7. (C) Benko went on to claim that Roncevic has ties to
organized crime groups in Eastern Slavonia, although he did
not offer any evidence to support his allegations. He claims
that Roncevic is placing allies within the police force in
part to acquire knowledge of police activities that are of
interest to organized crime groups. Benko said that he knows

Roncevic is under investigation by USKOK, the Office of
Suppression of Corruption and Organized Crime in the State
Prosecutor's office, but that he does not know any details of
the investigation. (NOTE: In a separate meeting, Dinko
Cvitan, head of USKOK, confirmed to Poloff that Roncevic is
currently under investigation but had not yet been called for
questioning. The press has speculated that Roncevic is being
investigated for a military truck procurement that took place
while he was Minister of Defense. END NOTE.)

Grateful for Ties with the Embassy
--------------


7. (U) Benko reaffirmed the close relationship his office has
with the Embassy and thanked the Embassy for assistance
provided through the ICITAP program, including a study trip
to the United States scheduled for September in which Benko
will participate that examines the relationships between
prosecutors and police.

Comment
--------------


8. (C) Benko is a close contact for the Embassy and the frank
discussion of his situation with a new officer indicates that
he is frustrated and seeking out allies in his fight with
Roncevic. Such a fight, especially if it plays out in the
media, would be damaging for the MOI. If the allegations
against Roncevic are also made public this would be a blow to
the government's efforts to demonstrate both domestically and
internationally, particularly to the EU, that it is taking
strong action against corruption.
Bradtke