An Istria County councillor, Danijel Feric of the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SDP), has filed charges on behalf of the party against former Pula mayor, former IDS president and incumbent county prefect Boris Miletic and his former close associates, suspecting them of embezzlement.

The charges are related to founded suspicion of embezzlement and forging business documents and the relevant documentation has been sent to the competent state institutions. The misdoings are related to the accounts of the city-owned Castrum ’97 facility management company but also to damaging contracts with local media and agencies, said Feric.

According to Feric, since 2008, during Miletic’s term the mayor of Pula, an “unbelievable 11 million kuna was spent on two PR agencies – Manjgura and Alphera – and two media – Glas Istre and Regional Express.”

Feric claimed that although he was in charge of the city’s finances from 2010 to 2012, he did not have any knowledge of this spending.

Feric also claimed that a former head of Pula’s facility management company forged documents issued false invoices,  with the help of a construction company and an IT company, to obtain tablets, an LCD TV, a wine fridge and heating panels for his associates.

Feric thanked whistleblowers for their “civic courage to warn of the deviant conduct by certain individuals in the city administration under the leadership of Boris Miletic.

Asked whether he would demand Miletic stand down as Istria County prefect, Feric said that he does not expect Miletic to act morally.

“I believe he should resign but at the same time, I don’t think he will. I also do not believe that the IDS (Istrian Democratic Party) will launch proceedings for his resignation in the County Assembly,” said Feric while calling on IDS leader Dalibor Paus to inform the public and competent institutions of suspicions that Miletic falsified surveys.

IDS launched disciplinary procedures against its former leader Miletic last Friday for breach of the code of ethics and the party’s statute, accusing him of making autocratic decisions without consulting the party.

The following day, Miletic announced that he was leaving the party.