ZAGREB, Feb 6 (Hina) - The Croatian government on Thursday decided with a majority vote to annul its decision of January 23 to sell the Suncani Hvar hotel company to Slovenia's Terme Catez and to back down from the sale of the company
to any of the bidders.
ZAGREB, Feb 6 (Hina) - The Croatian government on Thursday decided
with a majority vote to annul its decision of January 23 to sell the
Suncani Hvar hotel company to Slovenia's Terme Catez and to back
down from the sale of the company to any of the bidders. #L#
The government dismissed the Croatian Privatisation Fund (HFP)
management board (Slavko Linic, Mato Crkvenac, Ljubo Jurcic,
Bozidar Pankretic and Pave Zupan Ruskovic) due to mistakes and
failures in decision-making and the bidding procedure.
The government also decided to reorganise the HFP, which is to
include personnel changes, and entrusted the Economy Ministry with
this task.
Premier Ivica Racan said that there were evident errors in the
process of privatisation of Suncani Hvar, including those in the
presentation of potential buyers and their bids and the proposing
of the final decision.
Racan said he was satisfied with the government's once again having
proved capable of resolving complicated situations.
The government made its decision only in the second half of today's
session, after a heated debate.
In the first part of the session there were evident differences of
opinion.
Deputy Prime Minister Goran Granic and Ministers Radimir Cacic,
Andro Vlahusic and Roland Zuvanic claimed the decision to sell the
company should be suspended and that both bidders should be invited
to clarify their offers.
The implemented international tender and related decisions must be
respected for the sake of our credibility, Cacic said. Granic added
they did not want to bring into question privatisation or the
possibility of foreigners to participate in it.
The four officials also opposed the proposal that the HFP
management board be dismissed, but they did agree with the need to
reorganise the HFP.
Deputy Prime Minister Ante Simonic asked that the decision to sell
Suncani Hvar be annulled and that the company should not be sold to
any of the bidders, as well as that those responsible for the affair
be punished.
Members of the HFP's management board are the only ones who are
responsible. The relevant services and Tourism Ministry did not
provide any incorrect data, said a deputy prime minister and
chairman of the HFP Board, Slavko Linic, and Crkvenac agreed
fully.
Linic explained how and on the basis of which elements the board
recommended the sale of Suncani Hvar to Terme Catez.
Tourism Minister Pave Zupan Ruskovic rejected insinuations that
the competent people involved in the procedure had made mistakes
and dismissed claims about embezzlement and falsified documents.
Government members agreed that the privatisation process should be
resumed and that the HFP should be reorganised and state-owned
stocks managed with more care.
(hina) sp rml sb