ZAGREB, Oct 1 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament on Wednesday adopted the Law on the Prevention of Conflicts of Interest in the Performance of Public Duties, despite objections from the opposition over the passing of a government
amendment under which an official does not have to transfer management rights in a company if he/she has less than 25 percent interest in the company.
ZAGREB, Oct 1 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament on Wednesday adopted
the Law on the Prevention of Conflicts of Interest in the
Performance of Public Duties, despite objections from the
opposition over the passing of a government amendment under which
an official does not have to transfer management rights in a company
if he/she has less than 25 percent interest in the company. #L#
Sixty-three ruling coalition MPs voted for the law plus the
amendment, while 35 opposition deputies were against.
The government moved and the parliamentary majority adopted the
amendment which stipulates that there is no justified reason to
demand of an official to transfer management rights to another
person if he/she owns less than 25 percent of shares in a company.
The transfer is obligatory when the interest is 25 percent or more.
The clubs of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), the Social
Liberals, the Croatian Bloc, and the Party of Rights were against
the amendment, claiming it favoured state officials and brought the
entire law in question.
Vladimir Seks of the HDZ said it was unacceptable for the government
to favour officials with this law. "This means that an official, for
example the minister of public works, could sign contracts with
himself, i.e. the company in which his share is under 25 percent.
The image of (Public Works Minister Radimir) Cacic and Parliament
President (Zlatko) Tomcic, of whom each has a 22 percent share in
companies, shows why this amendment was moved".
Seks said the law was invalid since 76 votes were required for an
organic law, such as this, to be passed.
Backing the amendment, the ruling coalition clubs said it made no
sense to introduce the obligation to transfer management rights if
there were no such rights, and stressed that less than 25 percent
was not enough to manage a company. They said the official in
question would have to report said assets to the Commission for the
Prevention of Conflicts of Interest.
The new law stipulates there is a conflict of interests when
officials' private interests clash with public interest or when
private interests affect or may affect an official's impartiality
in the performance of state duties.
Officials covered by this law include members of parliament and the
government, the Constitutional Court, the central bank, the chief
state auditor and deputies, the ombudsman for gender equality,
managers and their deputies at the Property Fund, the Pension
Insurance Institute and the Health Insurance Bureau, officials at
the President's Office, municipal heads and mayors.
The law does not include prefects, deputy prefects and the Zagreb
mayor since their obligations will be regulated by the law on the
rights of local self-government officials, the government
announced.
MPs adopted an amendment by the parliamentary Constitution
Committee under which officials must submit within 30 days of
coming into office a statement on their assets and earnings as well
as on assets of spouse and underage children.
An official will be allowed to keep a gift whose value is one-third
of the average salary. Gifts worth more than that will have to be
returned and reported to the Commission for the Prevention of
Conflicts of Interest.
MPs turned down a HDZ amendment under which officials were not
allowed to receive any presents.
(hina) ha sb