BOOK ON CRIME IN PRIVATISATION PRESENTED IN ZAGREB

ZAGREB, March 31 (Hina) - "Crime in Privatisation in Croatia (unofficial translation)" is the title of a book written by Darko Petricic who analysed the process of ownership transformation and privatisation in the Croatian economy in about 10 past years. Particular emphasis was given on where in practice crime was detected in such processes leading to tycoonisation and economic destruction of Croatian firms. A large part of the 300-page book are explanations of legal acts and texts on ownership transformation and privatisation, concrete examples of most controversial cases, how tycoons have appeared in the Croatian economy as well as proposals for the annulment or revision of the privatisation process conducted so far. The author also compared Croatia's experience with other countries in transition. During Friday's promotion of Petricic's book, an expert in economics, Branko Horvat, said the course of the privatisation in Croatia can be compared to privatisation in America in the 19th century. In the book, Petricic pinned the blame on those who established the Croatian Privatisation Fund (HFP) and to this fund as well for most of criminal acts in privatisation. The recently-appointed HFP head, Hrvoje Vojkovic, also believes that the process of the ownership transformation and privatisation had been burdened with contentious cases. He added that with the set-up of a service for revision, the HFP had lately taken some steps to establish those cases. A law on the revision, however, is still to be adopted, Vojkovic said. (hina) ms