A Carinthian parliamentary commission of inquiry into the Hypo bank, headed by Rolf Holub and including Austrian MP Peter Pilz, began a visit of Istria County on Thursday to investigate suspicious projects linked to the Austrian bank's operations.
The commission began the visit in Umag, where they met Mayor Vili Bassanese and his associates. The commission members said this was the start of a good friendship between Klagenfurt and Umag, as both cities "want to clear up the history and find out more about the Hypo money".
"This is only the first of several arrivals in Croatia," Pilz said.
Reporters were told that during a future visit the Austrian investigators will ask to talk with former Istria County Prefect Stevo Zufic.
"We are most interested in illegal financial transactions in Croatia and Austria," said Holub.
Asked by press if the investigation would also focus on former Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, Pilz said the probe certainly focused on him as well, primarily the deals he had arranged and for which former Carinthian Governor Joerg Haider had been responsible.
"This isn't our private investigation and everything we are doing we are doing in cooperation with the Austrian Justice Ministry," he said, adding the commission planned to expand the probe to the purchase of weapons for Croatia during the 1991-95 war.
At a round-table debate, the Austrian investigators said "a lot of money evaporated from Austria and Croatia" and that they were investigating "Austrian political crime".
Before the debate, they met Istria County Prefect Ivan Jakovcic.
