ZAGREB, December 13, 2018 – President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović’s advisor on defence and national security, Vlado Galić, has resigned for moral and ethical reasons, and the President has accepted the resignation of the national security advisor, sources at the Office of the President confirmed to Hina on Thursday.
The resignation comes in the wake of the fake text message scandal in which police have arrested former police IT expert Franjo Varga on the suspicion that during the trial of former Dinamo football club executive Zdravko Mamić, his brother Zoran, former Dinamo director Damir Vrbanović and tax official Milan Pernar at the Osijek County Court, Varga made fake text messages for Zdravko Mamić purportedly showing correspondence between former chief state prosecutor Dinko Cvitan and a judge involved in the trial. The purpose of the fake correspondence was to show that before the non-final ruling in the case, Cvitan tried to pressure the judge into making a sentencing verdict.
In his deposition to USKOK anti-corruption agency investigators, Varga also spoke about his cooperation with former Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) leader Tomislav Karamarko and his deputy Milijan Brkić, as well as former Agrokor owner Ivica Todorić and President Grabar-Kitarović’s advisor Galić, who introduced Varga to Karamarko.
Another person who has been in custody in this case is Blaž Curić, a chauffeur for Agriculture Minister Tomislav Tolušić and close friend to HDZ vice-president Milijan Brkić. Curić was arrested on the suspicion that he informed Varga that he was under investigation and was about to be arrested.
More news on the text messages scandal can be found in the Politics section.
