MP CESIC TESTIFIES AT EMBEZZLEMENT TRIAL

ZAGREB, Nov 18 (Hina) - Ljubo Cesic aka Rojs, an MP and former assistant defence minister, said on Monday at the trial of five persons accused of embezzling Defence Ministry funds, including retired generals Matko Kakarigi and Vladimir Zagorac, that the trial was "a rigged political process". #L# The five are charged with having embezzled "12 million kuna (EUR1.6 million) of Defence Ministry funds", which were used for the construction of houses damaged by the Croatian Army and roads. Cesic told the court that upon taking over a village, the Croatian Army used to choose "the best houses so that soldiers could have the best possible accommodation in given conditions". He admitted that some soldiers "damaged, plundered and set fire to" some houses, but added that "there are black sheep in every fold". After the end of the war in 1995, the owners of those houses claimed damages from the Defence Ministry, Cesic said, adding that he had used to sign every day around 500 decisions on the payment of damages in his capacity as assistant defence minister. The indictment charges, among others, former Zagreb City Assembly president Antun Sporer with embezzling slightly more than one million kuna for the reconstruction of his weekend house at Novigrad. The media speculated that the money for repair works was "a reward for Sporer's (a Croatian Peasant Party deputy) vote for the HDZ, which secured the HDZ the majority in the City Assembly". Cesic confirmed that there were cases when construction works had been completed before the formal signing of contracts with contractors, but this was not common practice. Speaking about the construction of a road on St. Klement island, Cesic said the army had built roads on other islands as well. Cesic apologised for not being able to testify at last week's hearing so the head of the panel of judges in the trial, Drazen Tripalo, withdrew his decision to punish him with fines worth 5,000 kuna. (hina) rml sb