The Minister of the Interior, Ranko Ostojic, has said that while the invented scandal about the printouts of telephone records is grabbing more attention, the fact that those who leaked information to mobsters have been detected has passed almost unnoticed.
In an interview to the Rijeka-based Novi List daily on Saturday, Minister Ostojic vows that the next step will be to investigate who "commissioned" information from the two police officers who have recently been arrested on suspicion that they provided the underworld with pieces of information on ongoing investigations.
He reiterated his support to the police structures and wondered what could be problematic if during their probes the police requested printouts of telephone records of persons who were in touch with persons under investigation.
The minister insists that the police requested the printouts of phone records from the police telephones and that it was established that the two police officers were revealing secrets.
He said that he had checked whether the requests had all necessary approvals and rejected allegations that any additional numbers were put on the request after it had been approved.
Everything has been done in compliance with law, Ostojic stressed.
He said that that he was the target of a hue and cry raised by the media with the aim to send a message to the police and intimidate them.
He said he was the target as he supported "lawful, professional and committed work of the police".
As for the reports on him staying in a rented flat owned by the private media company of Ninoslav Pavic, Minister Ostojic said he saw no problem as the rent had been previously regularly paid by the parliament while he had been an MP and now by the Interior Ministry. He ruled out any conflict of interest in this case.
