A former Croatian ambassador to the United States and permanent representative to the United Nations, Neven Jurica, pleaded not guilty to abuse of office and other charges at the start of his trial before the Zagreb County Court on Wednesday.
Presiding judge Ivan Turudic scheduled closing arguments by the defence and the prosecution for Thursday.
Jurica is indicted for spending government money for private purposes. The national anti-corruption office USKOK alleges that in 2007 and 2008 Jurica spent at least 677,000 kuna (92,500 euros) of government money on his private needs. Jurica is charged with abuse of office because he allegedly used credit cards and money of the Croatian diplomatic mission to pay his private bills. Media have speculated that he also spent money on gambling. USKOK also accused him of attempting to cover up his actions by misrepresenting official entertainment expenses and falsifying documents he was sending to the Foreign Ministry.
Addressing the court today, Jurica said that he had done nothing for his personal gain.
The former ambassador said he had spent the money on paying dinners for people with whom he had met for business purposes as well as on expensive presents and gifts such as shirt cuffs, expensive china, office supplies or even silver candelabras for synagogues.
"Diplomacy is expensive, and its success depends on standards set and cherished. Entertainment costs are not only dinners, and I insist that no money was spent on private needs," Jurica said.
He admitted to lacking a discipline in keeping records of costs in an orderly manner.
In response to Judge Turudic's question why he had paid back money which he claimed did not spend on private purposes, Jurica said he thought he would thus strengthen his political position and that he did not want to be in dispute with the Foreign Ministry.
Last month, before the start of the trial, Jurica's lawyer Ante Madunic also refuted all the charges, and added that his client had paid his debt to the government in full and that he had even paid 21,000 dollars more.
The indictment was issued in late November after nearly five months' investigation, which was launched after the Foreign Ministry pressed charges against Jurica over financial irregularities in the Croatian Permanent Mission to the UN.
Jurica had formally asked to be relieved of his duties, which was unanimously supported by the parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee in late July 2009. The committee recommended to the then President Stjepan Mesic to relieve him, which he did in early September.
