ZAGREB, Feb 26 (Hina) - An investigating judge of the Zagreb County Court has turned down a request for launching an investigation against three former officials of the Croatian Democratic Union's foundation, whom the state
prosecution suspected of embezzling 12.3 million kuna which Croatian expatriates had deposited on a bank account in Austria for Croatia's defence in the 1990s.
ZAGREB, Feb 26 (Hina) - An investigating judge of the Zagreb County
Court has turned down a request for launching an investigation against
three former officials of the Croatian Democratic Union's foundation,
whom the state prosecution suspected of embezzling 12.3 million kuna
which Croatian expatriates had deposited on a bank account in Austria
for Croatia's defence in the 1990s.#L#
The final decision on the request for the probe against Ivic Pasalic,
Ivan Aralica, and Ante Beljo will be made by a panel of judges of the
county court who could agree or disagree with the decision of the
investigating judge Vinko Mioc.
Mioc told Hina that the decision of the panel of judges could be
expected next week. He went on to say that he decided to turn down the
prosecution's request after he interviewed the three suspects earlier
this month.
The prosecution alleges that Pasalic who was the chairman of the
foundation, called 'Zaklada hrvatskog drzavnog zavjeta' and Beljo and
Aralica who were at the time members on the foundation's steering
committee, had misappropriated funds which individuals and companies
in Croatia and abroad paid on a bank account in Austria for the
purpose of the economic reconstruction and protection of Croatia's
sovereignty from 1991 to 1998. This was the account opened by the then
government.
In 1998, the money was transferred to an account opened in the
Privredna Bank Zagreb. Three years later, Pasalic, Beljo and Aralica
adopted a book of rules on managing the funds and according to the
prosecution, they took the money in question for the foundation.
(Hina) ms sb