The Opposition has united in an initiative to set up an inquiry commission into the INA scandal and the inquiry intends to include the government, the Prime Minister's Office, relevant ministries and the HERA, HANFA, INA, JANAF, HEP, Plinacro, LNG Croatia, MOL and other companies and agencies.

“The opposition has been working together for some time now on revealing the truth in the parliament about the embezzlement and theft. Today, we are going ahead with an initiative to establish an inquiry commission related to everything that happened in INA, with the Sisak oil refinery and the developments regarding Croatia’s oil and gas, how they were leaked outside Croatia’s borders and all in favour of Hungary,” the leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Pedja Grbin said on Wednesday after a meeting of Opposition parties.

The parliamentary Committee for the Economy will also be required to hold sessions where, the persons responsible for this and those who did not see that the theft was occurring under their noses, will be questioned. “The first one who will have to answer to that is Economy Minister (Davor) Filipovic,” said Grbin.

Determine irregularities, obstructions and other impermissible actions

The proposal to establish an inquiry commission notes that the goal is to determine possible unlawful acts, obstructions and other impermissible influences, favouritism and political pressure on the system responsible for managing oil and gas supplies produced on the territory of Croatia, including illegal earnings for parties and other private purposes from trading energy products.

It also intends to detect strategic goals and ways of managing Croatia’s oil and gas energy sources, especially in light of the fight against corruption and the ability and capacity of independent watchdogs to detect, investigate and prevent cases of abuse of power in their own institutions.

Another aim is to examine the decision-making process related to energy resources, relations between the government and the competent ministry and regulatory bodies with companies dealing with energy resources, as well as the influence and responsibility of political bodies and officials on the management of oil and gas energy resources within the framework of the competent institutions and energy companies of special interest to Croatia.

The inquiry intends to include the government and the Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, the Finance Ministry and anyone else involved in energy management, as well as the agencies HERA and HANFA and the companies — INA, JANAF, HEP, Plinacro, LNG Croatia, MOL — and other bodies and persons who may be in possession of information of interest to the subject of the inquiry.

Based on the data collected and the inquiry, the commission will present clear recommendations in its conclusion on how to improve the legislative, procedural and institutional framework for the management of oil and gas energy sources in terms of prevention and the fight against corruption, transparency, more efficient management of energy sources and trade control, which would achieve the restoration of at least minimum trust of citizens in institutions in the system, the opposition’s proposal notes.