Investigations continue into the HDZ campaign manager by the State Prosecutor.
The State Attorney’s Office has requested that the parliamentary Credentials and Privileges Commission removes the immunity of Josipa Rimac, the former mayor of Knin, who on Friday became a member of parliament representing HDZ, reports Vecernji List on September 22, 2015.
The removal of the parliamentary immunity has been requested due to the continuation of the investigation against Rimac which was launched last year by USKOK, which alleges that Rimac illegally acquired private residential units as the mayor of Knin. Chairwoman of the Credential and Privileges Commission Gordana Sobol has confirmed that she has received the request by the State Attorney’s Office and that the meeting of the Commission will be convened on Thursday, so that parliament can vote on the request on Friday, the last working day of this parliament.
Josipa Rimac, who is also the HDZ election campaign manager, said she would not submit her resignation since there are no new circumstances in the investigation against her, and that she has not even been officially indicted for anything. The only new circumstance is the fact that she is now a member of parliament, after she has recently resigned as the mayor of Knin due to commitments in the campaign. She will be stripped of immunity so that the investigation can continue.
Rimac has already announced that she will resign from all her posts in the event of indictment. HDZ explains the investigation claiming that the State Attorney’s Office is taking part in Milanović’s election campaign. They remind the public that everybody is innocent until they are legally proven otherwise, and that in the case of a guilty verdict there would be no place for her in the party. HDZ also claims they would never follow the example of Andre Vlahušić, who was the candidate of the SDP-led coalition for mayor of Dubrovnik during the last local elections, even though he was legally convicted.
Rimac became a member of parliament instead of Ante Jerolimov, who resigned after his immunity was removed in April so he could be prosecuted on suspicion of having falsified a diploma of the Faculty of Economics.
