ZAGREB, Jan 23 (Hina) - The Association for Legal Protection on Thursday called for the dismissal of Antun Vrdoljak from his post in the Croatian Radio-Television (HRT) Council due to a conflict of interest. Vrdoljak, as part of the
council, should be responsible for supervising the work of the HRT, but he received HRT funds to make a TV series.
ZAGREB, Jan 23 (Hina) - The Association for Legal Protection on
Thursday called for the dismissal of Antun Vrdoljak from his post in
the Croatian Radio-Television (HRT) Council due to a conflict of
interest. Vrdoljak, as part of the council, should be responsible
for supervising the work of the HRT, but he received HRT funds to
make a TV series. #L#
The Association based its demand on an article that was published in
the "Nacional" weekly of January 7, which claimed that Vrdoljak was
granted more than 19 million kuna (approx. 253,000 euros) for his TV
series "A Long, Dark Night".
The Association's request notes that Vrdoljak was foreclosing
business with himself and HRT bodies which he was in fact supposed
to be supervising.
The Association sent its request to the Croatian Culture Ministry
and the Croatian Olympic Committee (HOO) which is the body that
Vrdoljak represents on the HRT Council.
"There is no legal basis to have me dismissed and there is by no
means any conflict of interest. I legitimately represent Croatian
sport on the HRT Council," Vrdoljak told Hina, assessing that the
Association's demands were in fact a showdown by its president
Zlatko Zeljko with whom Vrdoljak has a long-standing feud.
Vrdoljak confirmed that in 2001 a contract was signed with Croatian
Television (HTV) to make a series but that the contract was signed
by the Druzba company, the project bearer, and not by him who is only
the director.
The president of the HRT Council, Vlatko Silobrcic, said that the
body could not dismiss any of its members nor did this authority lie
with the culture minister who, as he said, only controlled whether
the procedure to appoint council members was conducted in keeping
with the Law on HRT.
According to Silobrcic's interpretation, members of the council
can only be dismissed by the Sabor as the legislator and interpreter
of the law, or the association, or rather, institutions that
appointed Vrdoljak as a representative to the HRT Council.
Silobrcic concluded that the problem was that Croatia in general
had not legislated the issue of conflict of interest and this was
relevant in the media field as well.
(hina) sp/ha sb