Tourism Minister Veljko Ostojic said on Thursday he could see no reason why he should have included in his declaration of assets something he did not own, stressing that he had neither bought nor sold the piece of land in Bale in Istria County and that the proceeds from the sale did not belong to him.
Ostojic made the statement while responding to questions from the press in Berlin on the second day of the world tourism show ITB. He said that the money with which the land in question had been bought in 2004 was not his and that the investment had been made by his sister-in-law and his wife and the money was now in the possession of his sister-in-law.
When asked whether he would resign if found guilty, Ostojic said he was not thinking about it now. He put the whole affair in the context of the current political situation in the county and the ongoing campaign for local elections, due in May.
The value of the plot of land in Bale municipality near the coastal town of Rovinj increased from one million to 25 million kuna after urbanisation. The public broadcaster HTV reported last weekend that the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office (DORH) was investigating the deal.
Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic told a press conference after his Cabinet meeting on Thursday that Ostojic would need to answer a series of questions. "Someone has said that this topic has been chewed over, but it is good that it should be chewed over and digested. I believe Mr Ostojic will provide credible answers," the PM said.
