According to the information given to N1, the campaign ad made by the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) for the 2016 parliamentary election, and featuring the HDZ leader, Andrej Plenkovic, was filmed in the Savoric & Partners law firm.
“I will dedicate my knowledge, experience and energy to the betterment of Croatia. I am Andrej Plenkovic and I will bring credibility back to Croatian politics,” Plenkovic said in the 2016 video.
The part of the video in which Plenkovic speaks of credibility was filmed in the offices of the Savoric & Partners law firm, located on 14th and 15th floors of a skyscraper in 1 Ilica street in Zagreb.
The creative director of the HDZ’s 2016 campaign, Boris Malesevic, confirmed the information to N1.
Malesevic said the video was filmed by the Esterhaus production company, and the UNEX agency did the whole work around the video – the engagement and making of the video, as well as leasing the media space. The financial reports showed that the HDZ paid the agency 173,070 kuna (some €23,453) in 7 instalments during the campaign for promotion and informing services.
Boris Savoric was one of the names included in the leaked e-mails published by the news site Index.hr on May 9, which showed that the former Economy Minister, Martina Dalic, communicated with private law firms and brokerages during the drafting of the controversial Lex Agrokor.
Dalic resigned on May 14 in wake of the e-mail scandal.
When asked in February last year by the Parliament’s Agrokor committee about her relationship with Savoric, the former Minister denied having anything to do with him. She repeated that statement in a press conference after the e-mails were leaked earlier in May.
“I have nothing to do with Savoric. I met him in the context of what I was saying (at the Parliament committee), that independent experts should be consulted in order to analyse the situation and find a solution (for Agrokor),” Dalic told reporters two weeks ago.
Prime Minister Plenkovic commented on the video.
“It is true, part of the video was filmed in a location which is the office of Mr Savoric. It was done by initiative of the agency in charge of the lease of media space… it was not the only location, we also filmed in Slavonia, Dalmatia…” he said.
When asked who invited Savoric to join the working group which drafted Lex Agrokor, Plenkovic said he was invited “on experts’ suggestion.”
“I, personally, did not call anyone. I do not know who called whom, I know that the two representatives in the group were delegated by the Most party (former HDZ’s coalition partner),” Plenkovic said.