President Zoran Milanovic has sent a letter to Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic launching the procedure to dismiss Major General Ivica Kinder as Director of the Military Security-Intelligence Agency (VSOA) for misappropriation of state funds.

The Office of the President said that Milanovic believes that the VSOA director, as the person responsible for the agency’s functioning, cannot stay in office after extensive and serious breaches of office were identified in an inspection report by the Office of the National Security Council (UVNS).

The Office of the President said that President Milanovic had launched the procedure in line with the Croatian Security-Intelligence System Act, under which the dismissal of a security-intelligence agency’s director can be launched by the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister or the Croatian Parliament.

According to media reports, the inspection at VSOA found a number of breaches, with military intelligence agents who were on missions in Poland, Lebanon and Lithuania, having embezzled at least HRK 2 million (€267,000).

They apparently declared non-existent expenses and pocketed the extra money. The findings of the inspection relate to a number of VSOA employees, of whom some are no longer in those positions.

Media outlets said that the inspection report would be forwarded to the Office of the Attorney-General (DORH).