Former chair of the governments' Conflict of Interest Committee Dalija Oreskovic commented on Thursday on the transcripts of deposition former Economy Minister Martina Dalic gave Croatian anti-corruption police Uskok on the government’s handling of the crisis in the indebted Agrokor conglomerate.
The transcripts were exclusively released by N1 on Wednesday, and they contain a number of contentious issues regarding the process through which Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic’s government tried to handle the threat of bankruptcy at the food and retail group Agrokor, the largest single company in the country at the time.
Is this a case of avoiding the truth or outright lying?
“I would say the latter. When you read this (transcript), you see the content is disturbing. If it could be summarised, it is a harrowing report on the way the government misused the system, undermined the rule of law, and misinformed the public and the institutions, in order to allow one interest group to profit, all under the guise of saving a troubled company.”
What should be the political consequences for those involved?
“It is inconceivable to even talk about this. This is a terrible state, this says we have a situation in the country where the institutions are not working. It is inconceivable that Uskok would dismiss allegations. If one cannot conclude that the dismissal was a consequence of direct political pressure, that shows we lack the knowledge to seriously tackle big corruption problems. It is obvious that, in this particular case, Uskok looked the other way.”
Is there a chance that one of the top government officials would request access to certain reports from the Financial Agency?
“Theoretically, I believe yes, but not in this way. Dalic said: “I agreed with Fina.” That means she used her authority and position. Whether that is a felony is a question for someone else to answer. The public accepted the explanation of an informal expert group, and Uskok accepted that. It is terrifying that no one thought of the government law which defines in what way working bodies are formed. A government decision is needed for that, ministers must vote on it. The government did not make that decision. The rule of law means that everyone, including the government, must abide by the laws. The other incorrect view is that the Prime Minister (Andrej Plenkovic) was informed on everything. From the transcripts it is obvious that the Prime Minister was member of the group. There is no government decision that legitimises the working group. This was a private interest group that abused the system under the Prime Minister’s protection.”
What about (Finance Minister) Maric?
“Part of the deposition was published in the decision on taking steps against Maric. He gave a deposition which is different from the content we see today. The Committee sending the memo to the government is especially contentious. There cannot be two truths. The truth is either the version given to the Committee, or the one visible from the transcripts. Now, the Committee should be requested to show all the memos with the content approved by the then head of Plenkovic’s office Davor Bozinovic. It needs to be seen whether what was approved was illegal. Uskok or the State Attorney’s Office (DORH) should look into that.”
Minister Maric is not saying anything specific, he is only saying he worked in the country’s best interests. Is it the duty of the Committee to take steps against him again?
“Of course it is, but that is less important. It is more important that Uskok and DORH shed some light on this. Dalic said she intervened in the media because the law (Lex Agrokor, on state-appointed crisis management in strategically important companies) was being read in local and international communities. This is undermining national interest, they knowingly lied to the public. What kind of a government tells lies to the body that elects that same government?”
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