Attorney Vladimir Gredelj has revoked his power of attorney to represent the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) over "irreconcilable differences" regarding the defence modality in anti-corruption agency USKOK's investigation into the party's alleged slush funds, he said in a statement on Tuesday.
Gredelj revoked the power of attorney in the Fimi Media case on November 24. He said he notified the party that day and USKOK only today, so that the public was informed only after the parliamentary election, held on December 4, to prevent this fact from being used against the HDZ's interests in any way.
At the end of his statement, Gredelj apologised to the journalists he "may have hurt in the heat of the media battle."
The HDZ was unavailable for comment on Gredelj's decision. It remains unknown who will now defend the party in the probe which USKOK launched against it as a legal person over alleged slush funds syphoned from ministries and state companies through the Fimi Media private advertising agency.
Gredelj appealed a court injunction on the HDZ's building in downtown Zagreb, but the Supreme Court rejected the appeal last week. He argued that the building was bought legally before 2003 and that, even in theory, it could not have been bought with money from slush funds.
The Supreme Court, however, ruled that the origin of the building was not at issue nor was there suspicion that it was bought with money from those funds, and that the injunction was a temporary measure so that the state could collect damages if any illegal activities were proved.
The injunction bans the HDZ from selling or mortgaging the building.
