Gredelj said in the complaint the public's interest in this case was evidently huge and that the information leaks showed that the confidentiality principle stipulated by the Criminal Procedure Act could not be sustained in this case. He said the State Prosecutor's Office had done nothing to find out who was responsible or punish them.

Gredelj said all the accused must be in the same position, both in the proceedings and in the public eye, recommending that, under the Criminal Procedure Act, USKOK adopt a decision whereby certain parts of the investigation, notably defendants' and witness statements, could be made public.

Gredelj said the adoption of such a decision would not undermine the interests of the investigation, since the key information had already been published by the media and the investigation was in an advanced stage.

In his complaint, Gredelj went on to say that after examining the case file he saw that some depositions had been carried by the media almost in their entirety, which he added indicated that someone involved in the investigation had leaked them to the press. He said this was a crime and a serious irregularity in the investigation.

USKOK would not comment on the HDZ's complaint and request.

USKOK said earlier it was investigating the information leaks in the Fimi Media case. In September, after Vecernji List published the deposition of former HDZ accountant Branka Pavosevic, it interrogated some journalists, which prompted the Croatian Journalists Association to say this was an unacceptable attempt to intimidate journalists and the media and to call on journalists not to reveal their sources.