The parliamentary opposition was agreed on Thursday that the HERA energy regulator had not done its job in the INA gas resale affair and requested that Danijel Zamboki, the president of HERA's Steering Council who resigned but has not been relieved of duty, come to the parliamentary debate.

“INA was robbed of HRK 1 billion under the direction of the HDZ member in INA and (Prime Minister Andrej) Plenkovic’s friend, and the gentlemen sitting before us didn’t notice anything,” Pedja Grbin of the Social Democratic Party said in a debate on HERA’s 2021 report.

The debate was attended by the deputy president of HERA’s Steering Council, Zeljko Vrban, but not by Zamboki, who did not show up before the parliamentary economy committee either earlier this week.

HERA should have monitored 14 companies but was incapable of that either, Grbin said.

The opposition dismissed the claims from the government and the ruling majority that no plunder  occurred because the relevant institutions did their job.

Of all the institutions, only one foreign bank reacted, reporting a large sum in the account of one pensioner, after which things started unravelling, said Stipo Mlinaric of the right-wing DP party.

Zarko Tusek of the ruling HDZ said there was no need to defend those involved in the affair but that no plunder actually took place “because the institutions did their job, noticing the attempted crime.”

He said that in every affair it was necessary to establish individual responsibility and the responsibility of institutions.

Zeljko Pavic of the opposition Social Democrats said “it’s not correct that the money was rescued, only part of it was rescued.”

Marko Pavic of the HDZ said banks reported suspicious transactions and the Tax Administration responded in line with the law preventing money laundering. The money which was in the accounts in question is now in a state budget account, he added.