The case at the Virovitica Municipal Court, where the plaintiff is MP Josip Đakić, reveals police involvement in delivering summonses and the unlawful detention of a witness over defamation.
A police car pulled up on a July weekend in front of the Jug family home in Korija, near Virovitica. An officer in uniform stepped out with two court summonses. The first was for Mirko Jug, who is being sued for defamation by Josip Đakić Jopa, an HDZ MP serving his sixth term, a position he has held for a full 22 years, since 2003, and president of HVIDR-a, also in his sixth term, since 2004. The second summons was for his daughter, Bernarda Jug, a witness in the case.
If this weren't the Virovitica Municipal Court, three things would be highly unusual: court summonses are not delivered on weekends, they are not delivered by police but by a court bailiff or postal worker, and the hearing is not scheduled until August 28. That leaves nearly 50 days, more than enough time for regular delivery.
The Virovitica-Podravina Police Department confirmed to Telegram that their officer took on the role of court bailiff. "The competent court contacted the Virovitica-Podravina Police Department with a request to deliver summonses in the case pending before that court, to which your inquiry refers," the police responded. The court justified the request citing "previous unsuccessful attempts to deliver summonses on multiple occasions via postal services and on two occasions via court officials."
However, an unexpected twist followed. "We note that police officers also failed to properly deliver the said summons, so it was returned to the court with an unsigned delivery note," the police added. Under the Law on the Delivery of Court Documents, in effect since last year, police are used as couriers almost exclusively as a last resort.
Judge Marina Kovačević, who presides over the disputed case, claims that the fact that the private prosecutor is Josip Đakić did not influence her decision. "In my work, I arrange delivery of summonses via police if the defendant or witness avoids them, and delivery via court bailiff or post is not possible. This decision of mine was not influenced by the fact that the private prosecutor is Josip Đakić," Judge Kovačević stated.
The court bailiff, the judge claims, returned undelivered summonses on July 8 last year and February 27 this year, with the note "On two occasions, no one was at the address." The summons from July 8 last year also failed to be delivered by the postal worker, who wrote: "Notified, did not collect the item."
Judge Kovačević's track record in cases where Đakić is the plaintiff raises serious concerns. Due to Đakić's defamation lawsuit, journalist Ivan Žada was arrested in January 2025 and taken to Zagreb's Oranice prison. The next day, he was brought by police vehicle before Judge Kovačević in Virovitica.
Even more drastic is the case of Bernarda Jug, whom Đakić also sued for defamation. At a hearing, according to her account, Đakić's lawyer requested that she be thrown in jail. Based on Judge Kovačević's ruling, Jug was arrested in January last year for allegedly failing to appear at hearings. She spent 11 days in Bjelovar prison, in extremely inhumane conditions, even though Croatian law does not provide for imprisonment for defamation.
The Bjelovar Higher Court later overturned the detention order and declared it unlawful, but due to the slow justice system, Jug unnecessarily spent several more days behind bars. Judge Kovačević continues to preside over the same case.
That Đakić enjoys special privileges at the Virovitica Municipal Court is also confirmed by the case of a Telegram journalist. Court President Krunoslav Gernhard banned photographic coverage of a hearing on June 5 this year, in which Đakić was the plaintiff, claiming there was no public interest. At the same time, Deputy Court President Željka Jurić allowed another journalist to photograph the same hearing.
The Bjelovar Municipal State Attorney's Office is now investigating whether Gernhard committed the criminal offense of violating freedom of thought and expression, punishable under Article 127, Paragraph 2 of the Criminal Code.
Bernarda Jug told Telegram: "Many people have already gathered who Marina Kovačević has persecuted on behalf of local HDZ bigwigs, using the same modus operandi and mocking the Croatian judiciary in the same farcical manner."
