ZAGREB, April 1 (Hina) - All clubs of deputies in the Croatian parliament on Thursday supported a report on an audit of the 2002 budget, warning about a large number of reported irregularities and lack of legislation to punish those
responsible.
ZAGREB, April 1 (Hina) - All clubs of deputies in the Croatian
parliament on Thursday supported a report on an audit of the 2002
budget, warning about a large number of reported irregularities and
lack of legislation to punish those responsible.#L#
Opposition deputies drew attention to what they called politically
motivated replacements in the executive authority, which, according to
calculations by Peasant Party deputy Zeljko Pecek, will this year cost
the government around one million kuna in allowances which state
officials are entitled to receive for a certain period of time after
the end of their term.
Social Democrat Nenad Stazic corroborated his claim that the
government was replacing competent staff with the case of Employment
Bureau head Sanja Crnkovic Pozaic, who he said was replaced despite
the fact that the bureau was one of the four budget users where
auditors had detected no irregularities.
After he warned Stazic several times that he had strayed from the
topic, Sabor speaker Vladimir Seks denied Stazic the floor, to which
the SDP deputy said that he would complain to the Committee on the
Rules of Procedure.
Damir Kajin of the Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS) said that the
share of public spending in GDP (some 60 percent) was too big and that
the economy could not keep up with its growth.
Katarina Fucek of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) warned about
excessive budgetary spending, the covering of non-budgetary items with
budgetary funds, contract and interest-free loans, and government
collateral for the rehabilitation of unsuccessful companies.
Slavko Linic of the SDP said that the reason for ambiguities regarding
the spending of budgetary money was inadequately trained internal
control personnel.
Tonci Tadic of the Party of Rights (HSP) warned about the
non-transparent spending of money through extra-budgetary funds and
the government's bad treatment of the Audit Office, which was
increasingly downsized in staff.
He also drew attention to a report on the audit of the National Agency
for the Rehabilitation of Banks (DAB), which he said should not even
exist as more than 90 percent of the banks were in foreign ownership.
"If irregularities detected in the DAB had been detected in any other
company, its director would have been fired," Tadic said, warning
about unclear privatisation methods.
(Hina) rml sb