The chairman of the parliamentary group of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Branko Bacic, said on Wednesday, following the announcement that four former members of the Plenkovic government have been indicted, that his party rejects the idea of collective responsibility for any crimes committed by individuals.

“The investigation and indictment of the four former ministers shows that everyone is equal before the law, that there are no untouchables, and that one’s position in the government does not exonerate one from criminal prosecution. Law enforcement authorities are completely independent of politics,” Bacic said.

Commenting on the opposition’s demands for the government to step down over the indictments, he said he had expected this from the opposition, but added that opinion polls show a rise in approval ratings for the HDZ and a further decline for the Social Democratic Party and other opposition parties. “They’d better turn to themselves,” he said.

“No matter how embarrassing this may be for the party, we have shown that we can cope with it and that democracy and the three branches of government come first to us. We will insist on it regardless of who it is about. Crimes are committed by individuals and we do not want to take responsibility for any crimes committed by individuals,” Bacic said.