ZAGREB, May 7 (Hina) - Former foreign minister Mate Granic and Koncar CEO Darinko Bago, suspected by the Office for the Prevention of Corruption and Organised Crime (USKOK) of bribery, were escorted to the Zagreb County Court
investigating centre shortly after 7 pm on Friday.
ZAGREB, May 7 (Hina) - Former foreign minister Mate Granic and Koncar
CEO Darinko Bago, suspected by the Office for the Prevention of
Corruption and Organised Crime (USKOK) of bribery, were escorted to
the Zagreb County Court investigating centre shortly after 7 pm on
Friday.#L#
After a day-long interrogation at the Zagreb Criminal Police premises
where the two were informed they were under arrest, Granic was the
first to be escorted by two plain-clothes police to the court. He is
suspected of having helped Bago take bribes.
Granic, a former president of the Democratic Centre party, told
reporters in front of the court he was innocent and "a victim of a
crude imputation and provocation". "The attempt to discredit me as a
man and politician is evident."
Granic said he strongly believed he would prove his innocence. "I
didn't take any bribes nor encouraged it. I discussed business and two
weeks ago refused any venture with this man who reported me."
Bago was escorted to the court shortly after Granic, also by two
police. He declined to speak to the media.
According to unofficial sources, Granic and Bago were reported to
USKOK by a former director of the Koncar trgovina company who is
alleged to have made, in agreement with USKOK, an audio tape of the
bribing. It is speculated that Granic was the mediator between said
director and Bago, who demanded the bribe. The amount reporters in
front of the Zagreb County Court mentioned ranged from 60,000 to
133,300 euros.
(Hina) ha sb