ZAGREB, October 25, 2018 – Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Davor Bernardić said on Thursday that he would honour any decision of the Conflict of Interest Commission after it initiated proceedings against him for receiving a scholarship from Zagreb’s Cotrugli Business School. The scholarship from the private company Cotrugli d.o.o., which owns Cotrugli Business School, is seen as a donation and an impermissible gift.
“I will comply with any decision, but I can’t believe that education or a scholarship can be a reason for prosecution in this country, whereas the funnelling of hundreds of millions of kuna from Agrokor is not. Isn’t it absurd that during this situation surrounding Agrokor, and with this saga before Croatian courts, of all those implicated in the case, only I, who has warned about the truth, have ended up in court with Ramljak,” Bernardić said, referring to a defamation lawsuit brought against him by the former Agrokor crisis manager, Ante Ramljak.
Bernardić went on to say that he had always received scholarships as an exemplary student.
Asked by the press if he understood the concept of conflict of interest and that the problem was not his education but the donation, Bernardić said that he understood the concept and would comply with any ruling.
“I have received scholarships from the Croatian government, the City of Zagreb and the Nacional weekly, and as a member of parliament I have received grants under many programmes of the U.S. and South Korean governments. I have always been eager to learn something new and gain experience. The right to life-long learning is one of the right that exist in Croatia. If this is the reason and if this is my mistake, I will accept the Commission’s decision,” he said. “I have received all scholarships available in Croatia simply because I was the best student,” he added.
Davorin Ivanjek of the Conflict of Interest Commission said today that an anonymous complaint had been filed against Bernardić following media reports that he had completed the Chief Executive MBA program at Cotrugli Business School which costs some 263,000 kuna (35,500 euro). Bernardić had the program paid for him with a scholarship which, according to the complaint, qualifies as an impermissible gift. Noting that in this case Bernardić did not receive any money, Ivanjek said that free lectures could be considered a free service which may put an office holder in a dependable position and create an obligation towards the donor.
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