The first defence witnesses started testifying at the Zagreb County Court on Monday in a trial of former Prime Minister Ivo Sanader and others accused of siphoning money from state companies into a slush fund of the then ruling HDZ party through the Fimi Media marketing agency.
Former health minister and HDZ Presidency member Darko Milinovic said he had not noticed that Sanader, the party's then president, had usurped financial operations or made decisions independently. He said Sanader could not have done it because financial matters were within the remit of the party's secretariat general.
Milinovic said nobody had complained about being inhibited in decision-making and that he had complete autonomy, both as a Presidency member and as minister.
He said the party's Presidency was briefed about the financial situation at least once a year but that this was not discussed in detail.
Milinovic said there were five levels of control of the party and that in 2007, after an audit established irregularities in the financial operations, Branka Pavosevic was dismissed as chief accountant at Sanader's request.
Milinovic said he heard about the Fimi Media case from the media and that the agency was never mentioned at the Presidency sessions he attended. He added that he had never heard of Fimi Media as a marketing agency involved in the HDZ's election campaigns.
He also said that Sanader's goals upon becoming HDZ president in 2000 were to democratise the party, introduce subsidiarity, open the party to coalition partners, and its pro-European orientation.
