The chairman of the parliamentary Committee on Home Affairs and National Security, Ranko Ostojic (SDP), said on Thursday that following the statement by President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic about corruption in the security and intelligence system he had asked the State Prosecutor's Office (DORH), the Security and Intelligence Agency (SOA) and the Military Security and Intelligence Agency (VSOA) to say whether any such crimes had been reported.

“The Committee monitors the work of the security and intelligence agencies and needs to know if any proceedings are being conducted. When someone says that one of the most important parts of the security system is corrupt, it gives us cause for concern,” Ostojic warned.

Appearing in a televised debate of presidential candidates on Tuesday, Grabar-Kitarovic said she was combating corruption in the security and intelligence system. In a subsequent explanation of her statement, she said she had inherited the situation from the previous Social Democratic Party (SDP) government, namely Defence Minister Ante Kotromanovic, President Ivo Josipovic and Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic.

She accused Kotromanovic of protecting senior VSOA officials Ognjen Preost and Darko Grdic from dishonourable discharge over embezzlement of funds at the VSOA.

“A leader who is accusing the system of corruption is creating uncertainty among the public, while she herself should be a factor of stability. I expect precise answers so that the Committee can establish whether this is true or not,” Ostojic said.

He said that the case raised by the incumbent president and attributed to the SDP government had actually happened during the term of an HDZ government, while the Milanovic government had dealt with it and referred it to court.