Pero Kovačević

Pero Kovačević
Member of Parliament
In office
22 December 2003 – 11 January 2008
Prime Minister Ivo Sanader
Constituency II electoral district
Personal details
Born 2 March 1957
Bosanska Dubica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia
Nationality Croat
Political party Independent
Other political
affiliations		 Croatian Party of Rights
(1999-2008)
Croatian Party of Rights dr. Ante Starčević
(2009-2011)
Children 1
Residence Zagreb, Croatia
Alma mater University of Zagreb
Occupation Politician
Profession Lawyer
Religion Roman Catholic

Pero Kovačević (2 March 1957) is Croatian lawyer and politician. Kovačević was the most active member of parliament during the 5th assembly of the Sabor, the Croatian parliament.[1]

Kovačević is member of the Association of Lawyers Vukovar 1991, an association dealing with crimes committed by forces of the Yugoslav People's Army and other Serb forces during the Croatian War of Independence.

Early life

Kovačević was born in Bosanska Dubica, present day Bosnia and Herzegovina. He graduated from Faculty of Law at the University of Zagreb in 1980.[2][3]

Political career

In 1999, Kovačević joined nationalist Croatian Party of Rights (HSP). He was member of the party's presidency.[3]

On 22 December 2003, Kovačević become member of Sabor as member of the nationalist HSP.[2] During the 5th Sabor assembly, he was the most active member of parliament.[1] In 2007, Kovačević entered into a disagreement with party's president, Anto Đapić. Because of that he announced his resignation from the party, however, he later pulled back his resignation and announced that he will run for party's president.[4] On 5 April 2008 he was expelled from HSP.[1]

After he left the HSP, in September 2009, Kovačević joined a splinter party, Croatian Party of Rights dr. Ante Starčević (HSP AS) led by Ruža Tomašić. Kovačević become party's deputy president.[5]

On 30 January 2011, Kovačević made an indicment against Ivan Domagoj Milošević, at the time Government vice president, and his company Pastor for assumed crime committed during the process of privatization.[6] State Audit mentioned Milošević's Pastor for irregularities in business, that is conversion of treasury shares into ordinary shares of and forgiveness of debt of 2.6 million by the Supervisory Board of his company. However, Milošević claimed that this privatization was just.[7]

On 5 March 2011, after Kovačević applied an indictment for assumed crime during the process of privatization in companies Pastor and TDZ, and after he participated in veterans' demonstration for Croatian generals in Haague, he was susspended by his party HSP AS for 90 days; however, Kovačević announced his coming-out from the party because of disagreement with party's policy.[8]

In the process of general Ivan Čermak in front of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, Kovačević was member of Čermak's defence team. He become one following advice of President of Croatia, Ivo Josipović. Čermak was trialed along with Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markač and was only one acquitted by the first-degree verdict.[9]

During the campaign for the Croatian parliamentary election, 2011, Kovačević called all of the rights' parties to perform unitedly for the elections.[10] President of the HSP, Daniel Srb, also invited all rights' parties to act unitedly,[11][12] but Ruža Tomašić disagreed with Srb's initiative.[11] Tomašić's HSP AS won one seat in the parliament, while Srb's HSP won none, even though his party won more votes.[13]

In January 2012, during the promotion of Croatian entry into the European Union, Croatian foreign minister, Vesna Pusić stated that if Croatia doesn't eneter the Union, Croatians would get any pensions.[14] Kovačević accused Pusić for blackmailing and threatening, and stated that she, by such statement, violated the law.[15] Soon after, Eurosceptics accused Pusić in front of the court for intimidation of citizens.[16]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Pero Kovačević izbačen iz HSP-a" (in Croatian). Novi list. 5 April 2008. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Pero Kovačević" (in Croatian). Croatian Parliament. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Biografija - Pero Kovačević" (in Croatian). Dalje.com. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  4. ↑ "Pero Kovačević: Đapić mora otići, ja ću biti šef HSP-a". Jutarnji list (in Croatian). 7 December 2007. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  5. ↑ "HSP dr. Ante Starčević suspendirao Kovačevića na 3 mjeseca jer je bio na prosvjedima" [HSP dr. Ante Starčević suspends Kovačević for 3 months because he took part in the protests]. Nacional (weekly) (in Croatian). 5 August 2011. Archived from the original on 1 July 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  6. ↑ "Pero Kovačević podnio kaznenu prijavu protiv Domagoja Miloševića" [Pero Kovačević files a criminal case against Domagoj Milošević]. Nacional (weekly) (in Croatian). 30 January 2011. Archived from the original on 1 July 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  7. ↑ "Milošević: Pastor je svijetli primjer privatizacije!" (in Croatian). Danas.hr. 2 February 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  8. ↑ "Pero Kovačević - prva žrtva prosvjeda" (in Croatian). Croatian Radiotelevision. 5 March 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  9. ↑ "Pero Kovačević: Savjetnik Čermaka sam postao na prijedlog Josipovića" (in Croatian). Dalje.com. 19 April 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  10. ↑ "Pero Kovačević otvorenim pismom pozvao na pravaško ujedinjenje". Večernji list (in Croatian). 4 November 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Grgić, Ilijana (29 November 2011). "Tomašić: Neka se Danijel Srb povuče! SRB: Oni će snositi odgovornost u slučaju lošeg rezultata desnice!". Politika Plus. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  12. ↑ "Danijel Srb: Ružo, usmjeri glasove HSP-u i odazovi se ujedinjenju!" (in Croatian). Croatian Party of Rights Zagreb. 2 December 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  13. ↑ "Konačni službeni rezultati izbora za zastupnike u Hrvatski sabor" (PDF) (in Croatian). Državno izborno povjerenstvo. 13 December 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  14. ↑ "Vesna Pusić: Ako ne uđemo u EU nećete dobiti mirovinu!" (in Croatian). Dnevnik Nove TV. 16 January 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  15. ↑ "Pero Kovačević: Vesna Pusić je prijetnjom prekršila zakon i može biti kažnjena". HRsvijet. 18 January 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  16. ↑ "Euroskeptici prijavili Vesnu Pusić zbog zastrašivanja birača; Pusić: Želim im sve najbolje u životu". Novi list (in Croatian). 20 January 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2012.