The County Court in Karlovac, Permanent Service in Gospić, rejected the appeal by Prvo plinarsko društvo d.o.o. (First Gas Company) as unfounded and upheld the ruling of the Municipal Court in Zlatar, which had fully dismissed the company's claim against Most MP Mira Bulj. This legally finalises the dispute concerning Bulj's speech in the Croatian Parliament in May 2022.
PPD had sought a payment of 2,654.45 euros, equivalent to 20,000 kuna at the time, as well as an order for Bulj to publish the final ruling at his own expense on several national portals and HINA. The Municipal Court in Zlatar rejected this claim in its entirety and ordered PPD to reimburse Bulj 995.40 euros in first-instance costs. The County Court also rejected PPD's request for reimbursement of appeal costs.
In his speech in Parliament, Bulj raised questions regarding the privatisation and subsequent sale of land belonging to the former Baško Polje military resort on the Makarska Riviera. The properties in question covered a total area of slightly more than 32,000 square metres, and the 2021 purchase agreement was concluded between Club Adriatic as the seller and Adria Baško Polje as the buyer. Among the founders of Adria Baško Polje were Pavao Vujnovac, Ante Bračić, Zoran Gobac, Josip Jurčević, Romeo Krešić and Damir Spudić.
The court confirmed the conclusion that Bulj's statements, made "in the context of political debate on matters of public interest", did not cross the threshold that would justify sanctioning him with damages. It also concluded that PPD had not suffered a violation of its reputation, good name, honour, company status or freedom of trade to a degree that would justify awarding monetary compensation. The court noted that Pavao Vujnovac is linked to PPD, and that Vujnovac, Ante Bračić, Zoran Gobac, Josip Jurčević, Romeo Krešić and Damir Spudić were founders or members of Adria Baško Polje, the buyer of the properties in question. The second-instance court concluded that "it is indisputable that a connection between these natural and legal persons exists".
During the proceedings, Bulj emphasised that it was his duty as an MP in the Croatian Parliament and before the public to raise topics and information he considered socially important, and stated that he had expected the State Attorney's Office (DORH) and the Special Anti-Corruption and Organised Crime State Attorney's Office (USKOK) to address the open questions. After the ruling, he said: "PPD sued me because I raised the issue of the privatisation of Baško Polje, valuable land from a former military resort, and the people who participated in that deal through linked companies. The court has now rejected their claim in the second instance as well. Lawsuits by big and powerful people will not silence me".
He also stressed that the court's conclusion does not close the questions he raised back in 2022. "Baško Polje was once valuable state property, and the public has the right to know how that property ended up in private hands over the years, under what conditions, and who was involved. It is my job as an MP to ask such questions, and it is the job of DORH and other institutions to provide answers", Bulj said.
