Ivan Jarnjak, a member of the presidency of the ruling HDZ party, told reporters on Thursday he knew nothing about the alleged siphoning of two million euros, intended for the building of the Arena Zagreb sports and concert hall, for the HDZ's slush funds, which the media are speculating about based on a deposition by the party's former treasurer, Mladen Barisic.
"No, I didn't know, and that's all I can tell you," said Jarnjak. "Look, there are many people who say all sorts of things," he said, adding: "When I say I didn't know, I mean that I didn't know then. Now that I've read it, I know."
Barisic's alleged deposition to the Office for the Suppression of Corruption and Organised Crime (USKOK) was leaked to the media today. According to it, two million euros intended for Arena Zagreb ended up in the HDZ's slush funds and Jarnjak, at the time the party's secretary-general, knew about it.