Dabro resigns as Minister of Agriculture in wake of scandalous video

Although he announced a press conference for today, Josip Dabro suddenly resigned in the middle of the night from his position as Minister of Agriculture. A wave of reactions was triggered by the publication of a video in the Jutarnji List newspaper in which Dabro is seen shooting a gun through the window of a car while driving. Who provided the recording to the media, what the motives are for publishing it and whether Dabro was blackmailed, as could be guessed from some statements - is not yet clear. 

Today, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković dismissed Josip Dabro from the position of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture. From the release of the video yesterday afternoon to the announcement of the resignation in the dead of night, approximately eight hours had passed. Josip Dabro, on the other hand, spent about eight months as a minister in the third government of Andrej Plenković, who, after the scandalous video, asked him to leave.

“I think that is the correct thing to do and the only possible thing, because, in the context of an increase in violence that we are witness too in Croatia recently, such behavior by a minister in my government is something I simply see as incompatible,” said Plenković.

After his resignation, Dabro remains in the Homeland Movement party as general secretary, and remains in Parliament.

“That Josip Dabro, at a cottage, at a private affair or in a car, is drinking, singing or unfortunately shooting in the air, is something that has certain elements; and are they a misdemeanor, is something that institutions will have to say. But we will agree that theft of millions or billions, corruption and everything else bothering Croatian society has a much bigger influence and should take priority during processing,” said the President of the Homeland Movement Ivan Penava.

There is almost no political party that has not reacted to the video of Dabro with a gun.

Social Democratic Party President Siniša Hajdaš Dončić commented on Dabro's claims about crime in the Croatian Forests Agency.

“Immediately, when that video was made public, Andrej Plenković should have dismissed him. He waited, and most likely something much worse is hidden behind this. Probably some blackmail, probably some deal, which the Croatian Democratic Union is partial to. What do we have now? We have the 32nd minister that left Andrej Plenković's government; we have some sort of announcement of war between the Homeland Movement and the Croatian Democratic Union, probably a war for positions,” said Hajdaš Dončić. 

"If it is true, what the former deputy Prime Minister Dabro is saying, that he warned Plenković of crimes in the Croatian Forests Agency and he was told to stay quiet, and the prime minister himself didn't report that corruption and crime, and punish or dismiss those responsible in Croatian Forests, then Croatia truly has a much bigger problem than former deputy prime minister Dabro,” said Nikola Grmoja from the Most party.

Sandra Benčić from the Možemo party also spoke out saying “On Monday we will immediately start an initiative to form an investigative committee, in order to give a chance to those former ministers to speak about who they reported threats to, who knew about them and who made them.”

Are there more recordings, will they soon reach the media?

“Yesterday I received more of those videos from various groups where he sent them and it would be better for him not to mention any videos, because there are videos that are worse than what was made public,” said the leader of the DOMINO party Mario Radić, who Dabro claimed is the only one he sent the video to, that cost him his ministerial position.

After the now former minister Josip Dabro stated that he had requested police protection due to threats, the Interior Ministry responded that Dabro reported an incident to police at the end of last year, and checks carried out determined that there were no elements of a criminal offense in the above-mentioned case. In this sense, the police did not provide classic police protection which is usually given to victims of crime.

Source: HRT