The Prime Minister and president of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Jadranka Kosor, confirmed at an extraordinary news conference on Thursday that the ongoing investigation into alleged HDZ slush funds had been expanded to cover the party as a legal entity, underlining that the HDZ was not afraid of the proceedings and that its members and presidency were ready to give statements as to how the party was financed.
Kosor said the HDZ would come out of the proceedings as a strong party that had been the first to lead the country in the fight against corruption.
The successful fight against corruption was one of the reasons why we completed the EU entry talks, said Kosor, adding that many wanted that fact to be ignored. We will not allow them to do it, she added.
She went on to say that she would request other investigations as well, including into scandals such as the Trznice Rijeka fresh produce market operator and scandals in Sisak-Moslavina County, wondering why confidential investigations were not confidential and where information was leaked from.
"Just as with the fight against corruption, we will not stop demanding answers to those questions, information leaks are criminal acts and someone will answer for it," she said.
HDZ vice-president Ivan Jarnjak said he still had not received a confirmation that he was under investigation, but that he would definitely give a statement to the anti-corruption investigative agency USKOK. In that interview, I will remove possible accusations against me and the HDZ, he said.
The media speculate that aside from the HDZ as a legal entity, USKOK is also investigating, over allegations of party slush funds, former HDZ secretaries Ivan Jarnjak and Branko Vukelic, and former HDZ spokesman Ratko Macek who was in charge of the party's election campaigns that were allegedly financed with money from the HDZ's slush funds.
The investigation in this case, dubbed Fimi Media, has so far covered 17 suspects, led by former Prime Minister and HDZ president Ivo Sanader. Under investigation are also former HDZ treasurer Mladen Barisic and former party accountant Branka Pavosevic on whose statements the media claim USKOK bases most of its suspicions.
Barisic and Pavosevic have spoken about the existence of party slush funds in the investigation into the Fimi Media case, named after the company through which money was siphoned from public companies and ministries, a part of which is believed to have ended up in the HDZ slush funds.
The media speculate that it is suspected that around 30 million kuna ended up this way in the party that has been leading Croatia's ruling coalition for the last eight years, and that the funds were used to finance the HDZ's election campaigns and a presidential campaign of incumbent PM Kosor.
