The latest discovery by the Telegram news portal about Deputy PM Tomo Medved not having declared real estate in his asset declaration was described on Wednesday by MPs as an oversight but not of the kind made by Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic-Radman, and they complained about the rules not being clear.

MP Arsen Bauk (SDP) believes War Veterans Minister Medved made an oversight but not of the kind made by the foreign minister, and that the Conflict of Interest Commission will determine the gravity of the oversight.

“Some colleagues evidently have difficulty filling out asset declarations because a lot of things in that document are not clearly defined,” he said, noting that he was very careful about that obligation “because I never know if there is still something left that I was not aware I should declare.”

As for the case of Mozemo! MP Sandra Bencic, Bauk said that the wording “Other obligations”, including debts, guarantees and other liabilities, was rather unclear because a user contract with a telecommunication company is a multiannual liability, as are one’s child’s scholarship or rent, which can amount to more than what Bencic said she was paying.

The Conflict of Interest Commission should give a rational explanation as to why some obligations are more important than others, Bauk said.

MP Bozo Petrov (Most party) believes a mistake can happen to anyone, “but it can’t happen that you forget to declare two million euros or a dozen land plots.”

MP Bencic, who has been criticised lately for not declaring her rent expenditure, said that she had wanted to declare it but she “did not understand where it should be entered. I believe the (asset declaration) form does not fit all the categories there are, at least when liabilities are concerned.”

MP Ivan Penava (DP party) believes Minister Medved’s mistake is an oversight.

“As far as I could see, it was an inheritance and there is nothing disputable about it, but it is definitely an oversight. However, I don’t believe there are in that case any incriminating circumstances or anything of great importance for the public at large,” he said.

He added that an entirely different kind of “oversight” is when one does not declare dividend income in the amount of €2.1 million and hides it from the public. “Especially when a company doing business with the state is involved, so in my mind, that should have resulted in dismissal long ago,” Penava said.

MP Marijan Pavlicek (Croatian Sovereignists) said that it was really difficult to fill out an asset declaration.

“The last time I had to contact the Conflict of Interest Commission two or three times for instructions on certain things because there are a lot of ambiguities. But they were helpful and I got the answer in 24 hours,” he said.

Dalibor Paus (IDS) said that additional engagement by the media with regard to the latest omissions and mistakes in filling out declarations of assets would definitely contribute to raising the level of political culture in Croatia, which, he said, his party welcomed.