ZAGREB, Feb 22 (Hina) - The Croatian National Sabor's House of Representatives could on Wednesday announce the State Audit's findings on the operation of the ministries of defence and interior and foreign affairs, which had been
classified as 'official secret', Djurdja Adlesic, chairwoman of the parliamentary Committee for Interior Policy and National Security, told reporters on Tuesday. Adlesic said the committee she was chairing would request that the State Audit provide information on the operation of 'RH Alan' company, which operates within the Defence Ministry, as well as on the amount of funds spent by the Service for the Protection of the Constitutional Order (SZUP). "We believe that tax payers must know how their money is being spent," said Adlesic after today's session of the Committee, which was held behind closed doors. Adlesic said the Committee refused a proposal by Ivic Pasalic of the Croatia
ZAGREB, Feb 22 (Hina) - The Croatian National Sabor's House of
Representatives could on Wednesday announce the State Audit's
findings on the operation of the ministries of defence and interior
and foreign affairs, which had been classified as 'official
secret', Djurdja Adlesic, chairwoman of the parliamentary
Committee for Interior Policy and National Security, told
reporters on Tuesday.
Adlesic said the committee she was chairing would request that the
State Audit provide information on the operation of 'RH Alan'
company, which operates within the Defence Ministry, as well as on
the amount of funds spent by the Service for the Protection of the
Constitutional Order (SZUP).
"We believe that tax payers must know how their money is being
spent," said Adlesic after today's session of the Committee, which
was held behind closed doors.
Adlesic said the Committee refused a proposal by Ivic Pasalic of the
Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) for establishing a parliamentary
commission of inquiry to probe into the 'Dubrovacka banka' case and
the so-called 'SIS scandal' (abuse of intelligence services). She
explained the establishment of a commission of inquiry could be
initiated only by a committee member, which Pasalic was not.
Also, the commission cannot be established until court proceedings
regarding the 'Dubrovacka banka' case are not completed, she
added.
"At last we have a law-based state which has to take care of many
things, including establishing the truth about the fifth partner,"
Adlesic said, alluding to the 'Dubrovacka banka' case. This
privately-owned bank was saved from bankruptcy in 1998 by the
Government, which took it over and carried out its financial
reorganisation with money from the budget. Reporting about the
criminal investigation then underway into cases of abuse and
economic crime in the bank, the media mentioned Pasalic,
speculating that he was the unidentified 'fifth partner', whereas
the other four partners were known.
Asked why the parties, which now have the majority in parliament,
are opposing the establishment of the commission of inquiry if they
themselves demanded it while they were part of the Opposition,
Adlesic said the same law - the Law on Commissions of Inquiry - was
still in force.
Pasalic told reporters that in 1998 the HDZ had not agreed to
establishing a commission of inquiry in the 'Dubrovacka banka' case
and the 'SIS scandal' because the former Opposition had not
requested it. According to Pasalic, the then Opposition requested
"a general investigation into all possible cases of crime and abuse
of secret services," but not into concrete cases, which was a
precondition for the commission to be established.
Commenting on Adlesic's statement that there is a possibility for
the initiative on establishing a commission of inquiry to be
launched by a request by 16 representatives, Pasalic said he would
collect the necessary signatures.
Adlesic told reporters she could not say how much budgetary money
had been spent for financing Bosnian Croats, because "those data
are hidden in several ministries and some of them, such as the
Ministry of Homeland War Soldiers, do not have to hand them over to
the committee."
"I believe the public will be satisfied with our questions for the
Government, but I am not sure it will be satisfied with answers the
former HDZ government will provide," she said.
Adlesic was unable to say how much money had been spent on secret
services. She said they had not been financed only by the ministries
of defence and interior affairs.
The Committee for Interior Policy and National Security will soon
receive a report on data found at the Croatian Intelligence Service
(HIS) upon the take-over procedure.
Pavao Miljavac, a committee member and former defence minister,
said he was familiar with the amount of funds earmarked for Bosnian
Croats, but was not able to disclose it due to the confidentiality
of the data.
Miljavac only said the item 'special expenditure' contained the
exact amount used to finance "the Croat component in Bosnia-
Herzegovina." He confirmed that attorneys defending Bosnian
Croats, who are being tried before the Hague war crimes tribunal,
were partly paid through the Defence Ministry. Money for that
purpose also went through 'RH Alan' company and the Finance
Ministry, he added.
(hina) jn rml