The Conflict of Interest Commission on Thursday launched proceedings against Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and several of his ministers for breaching public office and ignoring the Commission's request to submit documents related to trips to attend a European People's Party (EPP) conference in Helsinki.

The Commission launched the proceedings against Plenkovic, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Davor Bozinovic, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture Tomislav Tolusic, former Minister of Demography, Family, Youth and Social Policy Nada Murganic and former Administration Minister Lovro Kuscevic because they have not submitted the necessary travel allowance documents to the relevant bodies regarding their attendance at the EPP conference in Helsinki in November last year.

The Commission’s Chair Natasa Novakovic said that the procedure was launched following a majority vote over a possible breach of public office and failure to submit the relevant documents to the Commission.

Prime Minister Plenkovic failed to instruct his chief of staff and the ministers in question failed to instruct the relevant services to submit the requested data and documents to the Commission, which gives rise to the possibility that “these officials did not act conscientiously, responsibly and transparently,” Novakovic said.

Novakovic said that the procedure was not initiated because of the officials’ trip to Helsinki.