ZAGREB, June 9 (Hina) - Croatia's Reconstruction and Construction Minister Radimir Cacic on Friday rejected claims of possible corruption in his ministry since Croatia's new government took office in January. Cacic addressed a news
conference to respond to a letter by the Croatian Employers' Association (HUP) in connection with possible instances of corruption in the Ministry of Public Works, Reconstruction and Construction. HUP's open letter urged Cacic's deputy and assistants to publish a list of every contact they had with businessmen since coming into office "to eliminate any suspicion of a possible connection at an informal level aimed at realising individual personal or group interests as potential hazards to the development of corruption." Minister Cacic supported HUP's initiative to battle corruption, pointing out however that over the past ten years
ZAGREB, June 9 (Hina) - Croatia's Reconstruction and Construction
Minister Radimir Cacic on Friday rejected claims of possible
corruption in his ministry since Croatia's new government took
office in January.
Cacic addressed a news conference to respond to a letter by the
Croatian Employers' Association (HUP) in connection with possible
instances of corruption in the Ministry of Public Works,
Reconstruction and Construction.
HUP's open letter urged Cacic's deputy and assistants to publish a
list of every contact they had with businessmen since coming into
office "to eliminate any suspicion of a possible connection at an
informal level aimed at realising individual personal or group
interests as potential hazards to the development of corruption."
Minister Cacic supported HUP's initiative to battle corruption,
pointing out however that over the past ten years "when corruption
flared up to incredible proportions, HUP did not react in the same
way."
Cacic said an internal control commission had concluded the
encountered state at his ministry showed there was room for
corruption, but also that there were no elements indicative of
corruption over the last three or four months. The ministry has just
begun with inviting tenders, he said.
Commenting on the requested list of contacts, Cacic said it was
impossible to list so many contacts conducted at the ministry. He
said he prohibited as soon as he took office any form of negotiating
except legal invitations for tenders, and to that end formed a
commission for tenders and one for internal control.
As additional control, the reconstruction ministry today suggested
that a Croatian Employers' Association (HUP) representative join
the commission for tenders to give employers insight into
proceedings according to which companies are given jobs.
"There has, is, and will be corruption, but we are here to prevent
it, and in this we got another partner, HUP," said Cacic.
Explaining why HUP forwarded an open letter to the ministry, the
coordinator of HUP's branch associations, Milo Srsen, said the
letter was not an attack on the government or Minister Cacic, but a
new concept for the advocacy of transparency, especially in the
spending of budgetary funds.
(hina) ha jn