All eight opposition party groups in the parliament on Thursday submitted a motion to form a commission of inquiry to determine possible irregularities in the post-war reconstruction of houses that were severely damaged in the 29 December earthquake in Sisak-Moslavina and Karlovac counties.

The whip of the Green-Left Bloc, Tomislav Tomasevic, said that the Opposition expected the HDZ and the ruling majority to support its motion because they themselves had said that they wanted the matter to be investigated.

Anyone summoned has a duty to appear before the commission of inquiry, he said, noting that the Opposition wanted facts to be established as soon as possible due to potential irregularities and before reconstruction started in three counties hit by last year’s earthquakes as well as in Zagreb, where it still had not begun.

Commission should investigate post-war reconstruction in the entire country

The commission’s goal should be to investigate post-war reconstruction in the entire country since there are more earthquake zones, he said.

Social Democratic Party leader Pedja Grbin said the purpose of the commission was to determine who was responsible for irregularities, which, he said, had evidently happened during the post-war housing reconstruction.

Zvonimir Troskot (Most) said that the Opposition’s motion was not an attempt at criminalisation or a coup or an attempt to topple the constitutional order “but an attempt to protect citizens who have been helped by volunteers from all over the country instead of by the government.”

Croatian Sovereignists MP Hrvoje Zekanovic said that thousands of homes had been rebuilt poorly, which put people’s lives at risk and which the Opposition had the duty to expose.

Zekanovic insisted on the political responsibility of all governments, both the HDZ and the SDP-led ones, as well as county heads and mayors, regardless of their political affiliation, noting that he would also like the chamber of civil engineers to revoke the licenses of engineers who had approved poorly done reconstruction projects in the Banovina region.

Anka Mrak-Taritas (Centre, GLAS) said the commission should be established as it was important to know what had happened in Banovina.