The Justice and Public Administration Ministry on Tuesday dismissed claims by Homeland Movement secretary Dario Zepina that it was obstructing the registration of this opposition parliamentary party's newly-established local branches across Croatia.

In a letter to Minister Ivan Malenica on Monday, Zepina talked about the ministry’s silence, “stalling and typical party obstruction”, which the ministry said was not true.

In a press release, the ministry said the applications for the registration of Homeland Movement’s local branches were being processed and that the relevant service was in contact with a party representative.

The ministry said that between September 28 and October 23 it received 65 applications for the registration of the party’s local branches, and not more than 80 as stated in the letter.

Upon checking the applications, the relevant service contacted the party’s representative on October 15 with remarks about a number of applications, which have not been corrected in the meantime, the ministry added.

It said that 27 Homeland Movement branches were registered on November 2, following an application filed on September 2, and that this could easily be verified.

The letter contains groundless and untrue claims about “the minister’s impudent, arrogant and illegal actions,” the ministry said, adding that Malenica “is discharging his duty conscientiously, responsibly and legally.”