Spokeswoman for the strongest Opposition party - the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Silvana Oruc Ivos, confirmed on Wednesday that HDZ secretary general Milijan Brkic was temporarily withdrawing from his position as parliamentary deputy, refuting however claims that the HDZ leadership had asked Brkic to withdraw from parliament over the alleged plagiarism of his final thesis at the Police Academy.
"Mr. Brkic has been talking about it (withdrawal) for the past three months because he believes that with his duties in the party and that fact that he is engaged in the preparations for the local elections as president of the HDZ election committee, he cannot do a quality job as an MP," Oruc Ivos said adding that with his other duties, Brkic "practically never attended a parliamentary session."
The spokeswoman refuted claims that HDZ president Tomislav Karamarko asked Brkic to step down as a parliamentarian.
In late November, the Jutarnji List daily ran an article on the national police director's decision to suspend two lecturers from the Police Academy in Zagreb for helping 26 graduates to plagiarise their final theses. According to the newspaper, Brkic was one of the 26 graduates with a fake final thesis.
Brkic, who was accused by media of plagiarising his final thesis at the Police Academy, told the media then it was difficult for him to comment on such accusations.
"If that will please the comrades, I am willing to defend my final thesis again but this time before an examination panel consisting of Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic, EPH (media company) owner Ninoslav Pavic and columnist Jelena Lovric," Brkic said. The Jutarnji List daily is published by the EPH group.
Brkic stressed then that he had been actively involved in the 1991-1995 Homeland War, having joined the defence forces voluntarily, which was why "I did not have time to complete my university education in the same way some other people did." He also stressed that he was one of the three best undergraduates in his class at the Police Academy.
