POLICE INTERVIEW GRUBISIC ON OTV, FAIL TO ESTABLISH CONNECTION

ZAGREB, Dec 4 (Hina) - Zagreb police did not establish any connection between Vinko Grubisic and OTV, the local television station's editor-in-chief, Andrej Maksimovic, said on Monday. Grubisic was interviewed by the police on OTV premises for about an hour after his apartment was searched earlier in the day. According to Maksimovic, the police came to OTV as part of an investigation into Grubisic. OTV's management produced all the papers the police requested, but no connection with Grubisic was established, he said. Maksimovic said everything had been spurred by a front page article in Republika, a new daily paper which hit the newsstands today. The daily published the copy of a partnership agreement allegedly signed by Grubisic, Ninoslav Pavic, Ivic Pasalic, and Miroslav Kutle to gain complete control over the Croatia media, OTV included. "The police and Republika collued to boost the first issue's circulation," Maksimovic said, adding he did not know Grubisic's whereabouts. According to unofficial reports, he was taken to the crime police headquarters in downtown Zagreb and around 3 p.m. had not been released yet. It was also rumoured the police conducted a brief interview with Pavic, the owner of high circulation press publisher Europa Press Holding. The Interior Ministry confirmed it was conducting an investigation into the partnership agreement case, but declined to confirm that Grubisic and Pavic had been brought to the station. In a statement released earlier today, Pasalic asserted he was not the signatory to any partnership agreement. (hina) ha