ZAGREB, March 5 (Hina) - All parliamentary benches endorsed on Wednesday the passing of a law on conflict of interest prevention in the performance of state duties, with most favouring the HSP bill which, unlike the government's,
envisages relieving of duty officials who abuse office.
ZAGREB, March 5 (Hina) - All parliamentary benches endorsed on
Wednesday the passing of a law on conflict of interest prevention in
the performance of state duties, with most favouring the HSP bill
which, unlike the government's, envisages relieving of duty
officials who abuse office. #L#
Almost all benches agreed the penalties envisaged by the
government's bill are too lax for officials who use their office to
acquire financial gain, and that fines and reprimands are not
enough.
They preferred the bill moved by the opposition Croatian Party of
Rights (HSP), which proposes that such officials be immediately
sacked and, if they hold political functions, "be sent into
political retirement".
Contrary to the government's proposal, most benches agreed that
parliament, and not the government, should appoint the commission
that will determine if there is conflict of interests, and that the
roster of public officials should include city, county, and justice
officials.
Opposition benches, especially those of the Croatian Democratic
Union (HDZ) and the Social Liberals (HSLS), harshly slammed the
government's bill, stating it did not envisage averting nepotism
and corruption which they said was rampant in the executive
authority.
Vladimir Seks of the HDZ produced data of a recent research which
showed that 158 government and parliament officials participate in
the work of 164 companies, and that Labour and Welfare Minister
Davorko Vidovic and Public Works and Reconstruction Minister
Radimir Cacic had turned a deaf ear to the obligation to declare
their earnings.
"Eight ministers and one deputy premier have shares in 29
companies, Cacic and (Economy Minister Ljubo) Jurcic the most,
while Cacic received from the HBOR (Croatian Bank for
Reconstruction and Development) a two million kuna (EUR263,200)
loan with state guarantees for his two companies," said Seks.
"Will the premier's wife remain a minister's advisor, will Minister
Gordana Sobol's husband remain assistant interior minister, and
will Deputy Premier Slavko Linic and his Rijeka lobby continue
running the Croatian market," wondered Dorica Nikolic of the HSLS.
Josip Leko of the ruling coalition's Social Democrats said the new
law should clearly define the authorities of the conflict of
interest commission and the criminal responsibility of those who
break the law, as well as define justice and local self-rule
officials as public officials.
(EUR1 = 7.6 kuna)
(hina) ha sb