Varaždin mayor accuses justice minister of crashing press conference, violating building permit

Varaždin Mayor Neven Bosilj has accused Justice Minister Damir Habijan of attending a press conference he had called at the construction site of the new County Court building in Varaždin uninvited. Bosilj, a member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), described the minister's actions as "audacity and political rudeness."

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When one thinks that at fifty-something years old, one has already experienced everything one should (and could), then these fine politicians of ours surprise us again.

Bosilj alleges that Habijan's ministry, responsible for the project, permitted construction work that deviated from the valid building permit. The permit, issued by the City of Varaždin in 2024, specified the project as a reconstruction and energy renovation of an existing building, requiring the retention of key structural elements. However, Bosilj claims that parts of the building were demolished without any request for a permit modification. "It's simply not done that way. Call your own press conference half an hour later... What exactly doesn't Minister Habijan want to listen to? That the Ministry he heads allowed construction work contrary to the valid and final building permit?" Bosilj questioned.

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Audacity and political rudeness of a kind that even Donald Trump would be ashamed of. It's simply not done that way.

The mayor drew a parallel to the lives of ordinary citizens, asking, "Can you imagine starting the reconstruction of your own house, getting a final building permit, and then deciding to demolish everything down to the foundation because it seems more practical to you? Would you be able to say that you will sort out the papers later? Of course not." He suggested that any citizen acting similarly would face immediate inspection and site closure, implying a double standard for government ministries.

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What exactly doesn't Minister Habijan want to listen to? That the Ministry he heads allowed construction work contrary to the valid and final building permit?

Minister Habijan, however, defended his presence, stating he arrived because he heard Bosilj was "slandering" him. Habijan asserted that the ministry is acting in accordance with legal procedures and that the mayor's accusations are baseless. The incident highlights a political dispute between the city mayor and the national justice minister over the construction project and adherence to building regulations.

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I found him slandering me.