CROATIAN DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE POLICE REMOVED

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 000386 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/24/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL KCRM SNAR HR SUBJECT: CROATIAN DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE POLICE REMOVED FROM HIS POSITION REF: BRADTKE-EUR/SCE 6/18/09 EMAIL Classified By: PolOfficer Peter D'Amico, for reasons 1.4(b) & (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Vladimir Faber, Director General (DG) of the Police, was removed from his post on June 19 and named as a State Secretary in the Ministry of Interior, after just eight months in charge of the police. The Croatian media speculated that that Faber's removal as DG was due to political reasons. Faber was widely viewed as a dedicated police professional, particularly following several high profile successes during his tenure as DG. Faber's removal will probably hurt the GoC's efforts to show to domestic and international audiences that it is serious about taking strong measures to combat organized crime and corruption. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) Director General (DG) of the Police, Vladimir Faber was removed from his position on June 19 and appointed as a State Secretary in the Ministry of Interior. Oliver Grbic, the police chief in the port city of Rijeka was named as Faber's temporary replacement. Faber's new position, although technically a higher rank, gives him no day to day control over police work. During the cabinet meeting where the move was discussed, Interior Minister Tomislav Karamarko, a supporter of Faber, and Deputy Prime Minister Kosor emphasized that Faber was not being fired, but promoted. They also praised Faber's performance during his eight months. However, Croatian media speculated that a major factor in the decision was the desire of Prime Minister Sanader to protect former Minister of Defense and ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party colleague Berislav Roncevic, who is under suspicion for being involved in the illegal procurement of trucks for the military. One political analyst wrote that Sanader could not allow the prosecution of Roncevic because that would show that Sanader could not protect his people, which would jeopardize Sanader's position in the HDZ. When asked to comment on his new position Faber said only that he is satisfied with the fact that he will stay in the Ministry of Interior and be able to continue work on police reorganization. ¶3. (SBU) In October 2008, Karamarko and Faber were appointed to their posts after a high-profile murder allegedly linked to organized crime and corruption. Before agreeing to their appointments, Karamarko insisted that Faber 
be named Police Chief, and both demanded guaranteed autonomy in their work. One reason given for their appointment was that they were a closely-knit team, having worked together on law enforcement issues previously. Karamarko and particularly Faber were credited with improving the public perception of the police, thanks to arrests in the high profile case that prompted their appointment, and a subsequent high profile car bombing that killed a prominent local publisher. Faber also was admired by the public, but criticized by PM Sanader, for openly speaking about the problems in Croatia's law enforcement system. ¶4. (SBU) Faber also stated publicly that he would remove unqualified political figures running some of the local police departments in Croatia. Faber dismissed the head of the Dubrovnik-Neretva Country Police Department, who enjoyed the support of the HDZ, due to mistakes in the investigation surrounding the death of an Australian citizen. Faber made similar decisions in several other police departments, where politically well connected individuals who had never served as police officers were appointed as police chiefs. Faber also refused suggestions from political figures regarding appointments to a new police unit for the suppression of organized crime and corruption. In addition to the personnel decisions, Karamarko and Faber introduced new professional rules that make it more difficult for politicians to intervene in police business. ¶5. (C) Comment: While perhaps not popular among some of the ruling elite, Faber enjoyed a reputation as a serious professional among the general public and the international community. Faber had become a key interlocutor for post's ICITAP program, and seemed committed to the reforms we have been advocating. (NOTE: Faber's replacement, Oliver Grbic, has also worked with our ICITAP program, and we are hopeful that our progress in those programs can continue. END NOTE.) As reported in REF A, Minister Karamarko considered resigning in protest of the pressures that led up to Faber's "promotion," but decided against such a step because he believed he still had a mandate for further law enforcement reforms. Karamarko also insisted that Faber's transfer had nothing to do with corruption investigations of political figures. One test of the latter claim will be what becomes of the on-going investigation into Roncevic. In any case, Faber's removal as Director General of the Police will raise questions, both domestically and internationally, and particularly with the EU, about the GoC's commitment to ZAGREB 00000386 002 OF 002 taking strong action against organized crime and corruption. The EC Delegation here issued a statement saying that it would not intervene in personnel matters, but that it would continue to demand results in police reform and anti-corruption efforts. END COMMENT. BRADTKE