A special Carinthian commission of inquiry investigating business activities of the Hypo Group will also look into loans granted by Hypo Bank branch offices in Bosnia-Herzegovina, however the bank's business activities in the country have not been brought into question. On the contrary, the bank has increased its activities, local media reported on Wednesday.
The chairman of the Carinthian parliamentary commission investigating the Hypo Bank scandal, Rolf Holub, told the Banja Luka-based Nezavisne Novine daily that the business activities of the Hypo Bank in Bosnia would be investigated at the end of this month.
He said the investigators would look into the suspicious amount of EUR 100 million that have been placed through various loans and granted to Bosnian companies. The loans raised suspicion as they had been granted without sufficient guarantees.
At the same time, Hypo Alpe-Adria Bank director in Bosnia Michael Vogt said a comprehensive investigation was primarily in the interest of the bank. Vogt told the Sarajevo-based Oslobodjenje daily that the bank supported the ongoing investigation.
Stressing that he could not comment on the work of the investigating bodies in Austria, Vogt said the investigation so far had not indicated any wrongdoings in Bosnia-Herzegovina, adding that this had also been confirmed by the Bosnian State Prosecutor's Office.
