ZAGREB, January 20, 2020 – The Franak association on Monday reacted sharply to the news of a tender issued by Raiffeisenbank Austria (RBA) for a PR agency which would influence the Constitutional Court in the dispute over the nullification of contracts for Swiss franc-denominated loans, underscoring that any pressure on the judiciary was unlawful.
The Index.hr website posted on Sunday that RBA was looking for a PR agency that would exert pressure on the Constitutional Court. In their tender RBA is looking for a crisis communication service concerning CHF loans. One task includes “exerting pressure on the Constitutional Court and other courts in Croatia.”
The Franak association points out that influencing the judiciary is unlawful and calls on the State Prosecutor’s Office (DORH) to investigate in detail the way in which RBA does business, especially given the timing of their action, and to investigate whether the Constitutional Court or the Supreme Court have been influenced.
The Franak association sees RBA’s action as “a sort of an admission that debtors are on an excellent way to proclaim a new victory.”
RBA told Hina on Monday that they had advertised the tender for a PR agency with the aim of the views of banks being equally represented in the Swiss franc loans case.
“The task of the agency was solely intended as a way to make the other side of the case gain more publicity, since it has not had much of a reach so far. In all activities, including this tender, we have sought legitimate procedures as our solutions, that is, communication activities which would reach their target audience through the media,” the bank says.
RBA points out that all its business operations are in compliance with all Croatian laws and regulations and that they have always been that way.
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