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Zagreb - Croatian lawmakers on Friday endorsed the report on the work of the Petitions and Complaints Committee for 2021, warning that the question of the slowness of court proceedings has been the constant in these reports.
Last year, the Committee received and processed 228 cases, which is 38 cases or 16.6 percent more than in 2020, Committee Chair Katica Glamuzina (Social Democrats) said.
Citizens mostly complained about the work of courts and judges, court rulings, and the length of court proceedings. In some cases, citizens drew attention to corruption, malfeasance in public office, the efficiency of state attorneys, actions by police officers, and overstepping of authority.
Glamuzina said that seven complaints related to health services during the COVID-19 pandemic, including possible violations of patient rights and possible discrimination against unvaccinated patients.
Erik Fabijanić (Social Democrats) warned that the question of the slowness of judicial proceedings has been constant in these reports for years. "One of the basic principles -- that slow justice is also an injustice --- has been the constant for years," he said.
Mišel Jakšić (Social Democratic Party) said that the Committee should be given greater powers in acting on complaints from private citizens and institutions. He warned that there was a great degree of mistrust of state institutions, a perception of widespread corruption, that a lot of things were not working, and that there was no justice for ordinary people.
Anka Mrak Taritaš (Centre and GLAS group) said that citizens were turning to the Committee when they had done everything they could and did not know what else to do or who to turn to.
She warned of slowness in getting answers, adding that she herself had sent queries to Construction Minister Ivan Paladina, Health Minister Vili Beroš, and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, waiting for the answers for months or never receiving them.
Mrak Taritaš said that the Committee was doing a good job, but should start seeking answers from someone else. "How can you do your work if a ministry ignores reminders?" she wondered.