Luka Čuljak, the 54-year-old former director of the Maksimir Public Institution (Javna ustanova Maksimir), has once again found himself before the court. At the Municipal Criminal Court in Zagreb, he stated that he is not guilty of two criminal offences against labour relations and social security, specifically workplace abuse of two female employees. The prosecution is seeking an unconditional prison sentence of one year for him.
Čuljak has carried the burden of these accusations for years. The prosecution alleges that from mid-2019 to February 2021, he behaved indecently towards two employees in the premises of the Maksimir Public Institution – M. V., a senior professional collaborator, and L. J., a park nature keeper. According to the indictment, Čuljak frequently criticised M. V.'s work, denied her attendance at seminars, confiscated the keys to the entrance doors of the administrative building, and refused to issue a decision granting her the right to use annual leave after she called the labour inspectorate. He is also accused of telling her that he liked it when employees came to work in high heels so their nails were visible.
In the spring of 2020, Čuljak allegedly moved M. V. from the administrative building to a building housing biologists and foresters, where she had no work desk or cupboard. He assigned her tasks that were impossible to execute due to inaccessible data or short deadlines, and demanded that she, as the secretary at Administrative Board meetings, record events that had not happened, emphasising that he was the director. He began logging her breaks, told her she would 'be his because he always gets what he wants', and threatened to force her to resign. All of this caused trauma for M. V., leading her to seek psychiatric help.
The situation culminated in February 2021 at a meeting at the Maksimir Public Institution, when Čuljak informed her that he had arranged her transfer to the City Council without her consent. When M. V. continued to question his motives, the indictment states he told her he would strangle her if she mentioned it again. The second employee, L. J., accuses him of taking away her work tasks, making their execution difficult, denying her attendance at collegiums, and belittling her in front of external collaborators by saying: 'She always complicates things, she is not a capable worker'. She also notes that she had to request permission for every exit from the park, which was not approved in a timely manner. Her request for documentation regarding the restoration of a bridge in the Savica landscape was also a thorn in his side, to which Čuljak allegedly replied in a threatening tone: 'Colleagues, you are playing with fire. I should be the one asking you about that bridge'. In autumn 2020, through a professional manager S. B., he allegedly told her not to investigate the director's private matters because he had children and she should watch herself.
Čuljak stated in court: 'I understand why I am in the courtroom and the proposed sanction. But I maintain that I am not guilty.' He added that he is not a public figure and there is no need to disturb him and his family. He explained that he is no longer employed, received an extraordinary dismissal in May of this year, is supported by his wife, has not found another job, and is currently not medically fit. He addressed the accusations: 'I did not threaten anyone or arrange a transfer. Nor was I in a position to arrange it.' He claims the meeting took place due to her dissatisfaction with work and indecent behaviour, that he had previously agreed with colleague I. Š. to keep the office door open so she could monitor the meeting, and that he gave M. V. a deadline to sit down and talk, but she became hysterical and started claiming he had called her to his apartment. 'She staged this report to tarnish me and my family', Čuljak said, adding that he told her the meeting was over and to leave the office, after which she screamed hysterically. 'I did not threaten her. The only thing I mentioned was a transfer', he asserted.
To the prosecution, he explained that he never gave her a written warning prior to dismissal, but verbally warned her about breaches of obligations in the employment relationship, such as doing private work during working hours. 'I moved her to another location because she was working with a colleague who was already there', he stated, adding that he allowed her to choose furniture at the expense of the Maksimir Park Public Institution, but there were problems because she exceeded the approved budget. Regarding the minutes of the meetings, he said they are approved by the Administrative Council and it is impossible for what he is accused of to have happened. As a married man, he rejected the claim that he ever asked her to paint her nails or wear heels, and dismissed the other accusations of sexual harassment with disgust. He also denied the accusations by L. J. and addressed the time period for using breaks between 11 and 13 o'clock.
