Asked by reporters during her visit to Dubrovnik on Sunday why Sesvecan, an HDZ parliamentarian and member of this party's main committee, was chosen to represent the HDZ in the slush fund scandal probe, PM Kosor answered briefly: "Because we have chosen him."

The HDZ has been put under investigation as a legal entity as part of investigations which the Office for the Prevention of Corruption and Organised Crime (USKOK) has been conducting for 18 months into allegations that money was syphoned from state companies and agencies through the private Fimi Media agency. There are suspicions that part of those funds ended up in the HDZ slush fund and were used for financing election campaigns of HDZ candidates.

Kosor insisted today that scandals involving Opposition politicians should also be investigated, adding that there were scandals being mentioned one day in the media only to be abruptly hushed up the next day.

As for announcements of the International Monetary Fund's arrival in Croatia, Kosor said that the HDZ-led government had proved that it could manage the state finance without the IMF.

Kosor warned that the arrival of the IMF, which she said was being mentioned by some Opposition leaders, "would mean the negation of the Croatian Homeland Defence War veterans' entitlements, maternity benefits, pensions, etc."