The four Croatian members of the Supervisory Board of the INA oil company have sent a letter to the government calling for dismissal of the Hungarian chairman of the Management Board because of the situation in the company, and Finance Minister Slavko Linic said on Saturday that "serious talks with MOL are necessary."
"We've had enough of INA being neglected, because this Croatian company can be a very significant regional player," Linic told reporters at an election convention of his Social Democratic Party (SDP). He added that Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic should decide whether Croatian government ministers would sit on INA's Supervisory Board.
According to Novi List newspaper, the letter demanded dismissal of Management Board Chairman Zoltan Aldott.
The Croatian members of the Supervisory Board are Davor Stern, Gordana Sekulic, Damir Vandjelic and representative of the employees Maja Rilovic. Stern confirmed that the letter had been sent, but declined to discuss details.
The letter warned the government that it should begin negotiations to amend the shareholders' agreement because although it has only 2.4% fewer shares than the Hungarian company MOL, which has less than 50%, it has no management rights and cannot influence what is going on in INA.
The letter was prompted by a Supervisory Board meeting, held in late May, at which the MOL representatives demanded a discussion on the statements given by members of the Management and Supervisory Boards at the corruption trial of former Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, Novi List said.
