ZAGREB, Dec 24 (Hina) - The Zagreb County Court has received the request for launching an investigation against three former senior officials of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) who were at the helm of the party's foundation called
'Zaklada Hrvatskog Dr`avnog Zavjeta'. Ivic Pasalic, Ante Beljo and Ivan Aralica are suspected of having illegally managed the donations and money sent by members of the Croatian expatriate community for the country's defence, the court reported on Tuesday.
ZAGREB, Dec 24 (Hina) - The Zagreb County Court has received the
request for launching an investigation against three former senior
officials of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) who were at the helm
of the party's foundation called 'Zaklada Hrvatskog Dr`avnog Zavjeta'.
Ivic Pasalic, Ante Beljo and Ivan Aralica are suspected of having
illegally managed the donations and money sent by members of the
Croatian expatriate community for the country's defence, the court
reported on Tuesday.#L#
'The court has received the request for the investigation. Because of
the complexity of the case and the coming holidays I do not expect
that a decision will be made in coming days," the court's president
Bozidar Rumenjak told Hina.
The State Prosecutor's office suspects Pasalic, Beljo and Aralica of
committing a crime against security in the financial transactions and
of abusing office.
The police pressed charges against the former head of the fund,
Pasalic and members of the managing board, Beljo and Aralica this
September but further procedure was prevented by the fact that Pasalic
and Beljo had immunity as members of the parliament.
The state prosecution asked the former parliament to strip them of
immunity but this issue had not been put on the agenda and Pasalic and
Beljo enjoyed immunity until the parliamentary elections. At the last
polls they did not manage to win a seat in the Sabor. That's why the
state prosecution managed to file a request for launching a probe
now.
The prosecution insists on investigating circumstances under which
about 1.5 million euro of funds were transferred from a bank account
in an Austrian bank to the Zagreb-based account which the foundation
had in Privredna Bank Zagreb in 1998. The money, deposited in
Austria, came from donations of Croatian emigrants who raised funds
for Croatia's defence.
The prosecution, that claims that the funds from the account in
Austria belong to the Republic of Croatia, would like establish
circumstance under which the three suspects decided to use interest
rates for the purposes of the foundation.
The three suspect refuted the charges which the police pressed against
them.
In November this year the Croatian government and the incumbent
leadership of the foundation reached agreement that about 1.5 million
euro should be paid into the state budget.
(Hina) ms