ZAGREB, August 27, 2018 – The Conflict of Interest Commission on Monday reopened a case against Finance Minister Zdravko Marić regarding the Agrokor case and merged it with a newly-lodged complaint filed against him by the Živi Zid party. It also opened a case concerning Interior Minister Davor Božinović.
The commission reported on its website that it had examined complaints received against Marić, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Deputy Parliament Speaker Božo Petrov, as well as the depositions made to the USKOK anti-corruption office by former Deputy Prime Minister Martina Dalić, former emergency administrator in the Agrokor conglomerate Ante Ramljak, and one of the members of a task force that worked on Lex Agrokor, Zoran Besak.
In the case regarding Marić, a decision was made to reopen the case against him. A decision was also made to examine a new complaint lodged against Maric that was received on August 24 and to combine the two cases.
The commission had decided in April that Marić, who was once an employee in the ailing conglomerate, hadn’t breached the principle of conducting public office while Lex Agrokor was being prepared. In his statement to the commission then, Marić testified that he had attended only two meetings concerning Agrokor. However, Dalić’s deposition to USKOK, which was recently released by the N1 commercial television station, notes that he attended more meetings.
The commission opened a case against Minister Božinović due to the possible incompatibility of information submitted to the commission in the case against Marić and information on the same facts released by the media.
With reference to the complaint submitted by the Živi Zid against Prime Minister Plenković on Friday, the commission said it is identical to a previously received complaint against him. As such, the new complaint against Plenković has been merged with the already open case.
Following Živi Zid’s complaint on Friday, the commission said a new case had now also been opened against Petrov.
