ZAGREB, Oct 30 (Hina) - Croatian emigrant Radovan Smokvina has lost a suit against the Croatian Democratic Union's foundation called 'Zaklada Hrvatskog Drzavnog Zavjeta', which he asked to return him the money he had paid into an
account in an Austrian bank for Croatia's defence in 1991.
ZAGREB, Oct 30 (Hina) - Croatian emigrant Radovan Smokvina has lost
a suit against the Croatian Democratic Union's foundation called
'Zaklada Hrvatskog Drzavnog Zavjeta', which he asked to return him
the money he had paid into an account in an Austrian bank for
Croatia's defence in 1991. #L#
Smokvina sued the HDZ party's foundation as he believes that the
money, some 1.5 million euro which emigrants paid into the account
at the request of the then defence minister Gojko Susak, was
illegally transferred by the foundation from Austria into its
account in Privredna Bank in Zagreb.
Smokvina believes that the money was used for other purposes, which
is why he claims his money back, notably 400,000 Swiss francs plus
interest.
Zagreb Municipal Court judge Nika Grospic, who sent a ruling in
writing to the parties this week, said the court established that
Smokvina should have sued the State rather than the foundation, set
up in 1995, for the return of the money.
The ruling reads that at the same court proceedings are under way in
which the State asks the foundation to give back the funds,
allegedly transferred from the emigrants' account to the
foundation in 1998.
The court maintains that Smokvina has no evidence to prove how the
funds taken from emigrants' account were spent.
The ruling of the municipal court is not final, but no party to the
suit has so far lodged an appeal, Grospic said.
(hina) ms sb