The Commission for Conflict of interest on Friday fined MP and leader of the Mozemo party Sandra Bencic €1,300 on Friday for multiple breaches of her asset declarations.

The commission found that Bencic had committed several legal offences, including the false declaration of income from a flat that she and her husband rented out. The income from the property differed from the amounts she had declared and she falsely reported it as her husband’s income rather than her own. Bencic received just over HRK 10,700 (€1420) relating to asset declarations for 2021 and 2022.

The Commission: Public officials must act responsibly and set an example

She also failed to declare property income from the company “Pepermint” in the amount of HRK 2,498 (€331) in 2021 and HRK 22,048 (€2926) in 2022.

She also inaccurately declared a loan obligation to Zagrebacka Banka.

The Commission considered the fact that Bencic holds a high-ranking position and should therefore have been familiar with the provisions of the Conflict of Interest Prevention Act to be an aggravating circumstance. It emphasised that civil servants must act responsibly and set an example for citizens with their behaviour.

Most’s Troskot also fined

“The holder of the obligation is expected to maintain high ethical standards and ensure that their actions are in accordance with the law,” said the Commission’s rapporteur, Ana Poljak.

In addition, the Commission imposed a fine of €530 on Most party MP Zvonimir Troskot for failing to declare a rental obligation for a flat in his asset declarations for 2021 and 2022. Before taking office, Troskot had signed a rental agreement for a flat in Zagreb with a monthly rent of HRK 2,800 (€331).

He was obliged to report this within 30 days of taking office and also failed to correct the discrepancy in his subsequent declarations.

The Commission can issue warnings or impose fines of between €530 and €5,309, depending on the severity and consequences of the offences.