IVANISEVIC ISSUES STATEMENT ON CRO'S REPRESENTATION BEFOR ICTY

ZAGREB, April 2 (Hina) - The engagement of United States law firm Hunton and Williams and attorney David Rivkin as the head of the attorneys' team which represented Croatia before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) was not based on a signed agreement nor on any decision by the Croatian Government, but on personal contacts and agreements, in which the main role was played by the then Deputy Premier Ljerka Mintas-Hodak, Croatian Justice Minister Stjepan Ivanisevic reported on Sunday. The statement, signed by Minister Ivanisevic, includes facts regarding the cooperation between the Republic of Croatia and the Hunton and Williams law firm, and David Rivkin, which has recently been in the centre of attention in Croatia. In order to inform the public of the truth, Minister Ivanisevic issued a statement that read that in 1995, Croatian Foreign Minister at the time Mate Granic signed an agreement with the Hunton and Williams firm in line with which Croatia was to pay US$516,000 annually. In 1998, the fee was increased to US$546,000. A total of US$2,094,000 had been paid in four years for lobbying for Croatian interests. Talks between Mintas-Hodak and Rivkin on Hunton and William's representing Croatia before the ICTY were conducted in mid April 1997 in Zagreb. Rivkin was invited for talks in a letter forwarded by Mintas-Hodak on April 24, 1997. The conclusion is that the entire job had been performed in line with orders from Zagreb, and paid based on bills and reports on the job performed. A decision of the Croatian Government, in accordance with which Hunton and Williams would represent Croatia before the ICTY and ICJ could not be found in the Government's Secretariat, nor any decision by which Rivkin was appointed Croatia's agent before the ICJ in The Hague. The engagement of Hunton and Williams and Rivkin was not based on a signed agreement, nor on any decision of the Croatian Government, but on personal contacts and agreements, in which the main role had been played by Ljerka Mintas-Hodak, Ivanisevic stressed. In the archive of the Office for Co-operation with the ICTY and the ICJ at the Croatian Justice Ministry, Ivanisevic discovered 81 memorandums by Rivkin . Not one of them was addressed to the Croatian Government, nor the Counsel and Office for Cooperation, but to certain individuals. Two thirds of the memorandums, namely 53 were addressed to Mintas-Hodak. Ivanisevic stressed that not one of the memorandums were addressed to Croatian Justice Minister at the time Milan Ramljak, who was also the president of the Counsel for Cooperation with the ICTY and ICJ. The services conducted by Hunton and Williams and attorney Rivkin for the representation of Croatia before the ICTY and ICJ were paid in accordance with forwarded bills addressed to the Government's Office for Cooperation with the ICTY and ICJ. Based on the approval of Mintas-Hodak, the Office forwarded the bills to the Croatian Finance Ministry to be paid. Later, the Croatian Government authorised the Finance Ministry to pay the bills directly. A total of US$6,721,116,84 was paid to the Hunton and Williams company for the cooperation with the ICTY and ICJ between June 11, 1997 and February 2, 2000. This amount does not include payments to Hunton and Williams for the defence of D. Kordic before the ICTY. As is publicly known the Lathan & Watkins company and a local firm, Nobilo was engaged and paid for the defence of General Tihomir Blaskic. These payments were made via the Croatian Defence Ministry or in line with the approval of the Croatian Government from current budget reserves. According to information, which I received from Defence Minister Jozo Rados, these payments amounted to about US$ 7 million, Minister Ivanisevic said. At the request of Justice Minister at the time, Zvonimir Separovic, Hunton and Williams stopped representing Croatia before the courts in The Hague as of December 22, 1999. The reason was Rivkin's and his associates' transfer into another law firm, Baker & Hostetler. Without any formal authorisation from the Croatian Government, Minister Separovic approved that this particular law firm represent Croatia for the next two years, as of December 22, 1999. Bills were to be paid once a month based on reports on the work conducted. The first bill, amounting to US$131,937,15, was paid on February 2, 2000, without my knowledge. Ivanisevic said. "After that, Rivkin forwarded another two bills, worth US$759,996,24, however, I suspended the bills", Minister Ivanisevic said in his statement (hina) it