The Minister of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy, Josip Aladrovic, is a relative of the former CEO of state-run oil pipeline operator JANAF, Dragan Kovacevic, who has been arrested on suspicion of corruption, he confirmed to the press on Monday.

“Yes, Kovacevic and I are relatives, and I’ve never made secret of it. Since JANAF is not within the scope of my department, I did not influence his appointment as the CEO of JANAF, nor did I plan that. That has nothing to do with the position that I fill,” Aladrovic said before a meeting with business people at the Chamber of Commerce. He was asked if he had an interest in Kovacevic continuing as JANAF’s CEO.

He repeated several times that he had visited Kovacevic’s club in Zagreb, but stressed that he had not been there during the coronavirus lockdown.

The Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Tomislav Coric, declined to tell the press what he was doing in Kovacevic’s private club. “If necessary, I will explain every detail of my day-to-day work to the competent authorities. I have no further comment,” he said.