HDZ DISCUSSES MEASURES AGAINST PRIVATIZATION MALPRACTICES

ZAGREB, Oct 26 (Hina) - The presidency of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party met on Saturday under the chairmanship of President Franjo Tudjman to discuss measures against malpractices and violations of the law in the process of privatization. As one of its strategic goals to build Croatia as a democratic, legal and social state, the HDZ had established protective and supervisory institutions, such as the Financial Police, the Tax Authority and the State Auditing Agency, to reveal and prevent malpractices and violations of the law, the HDZ presidency said in a statement. Since 1991, there had been thousands of investigative and criminal proceedings initiated by those institutions. Audits were carried out in 23.2 per cent of all companies that had undergone the process of ownership transformation, resulting in the full or partial annulment of ownership transformation in 103 cases. "This shows that (...) the HDZ as a majority party has ensured the establishment of all necessary protective and supervisory mechanisms as well as a legislative framework for the permanent and consistent construction of Croatia as a country of the rule of law." "In malpractices and violations of the law hitherto investigated, members of the HDZ have been involved in about five per cent of cases, of whom only 30 are from party bodies - 14 from local branches, 11 from municipal and town committees, one from a county committee and four from all central party bodies, but none of them are members of the Government or the HDZ Presidency," the statement said. Rejecting accusations that domestic entrepreneurs and authorities were closely connected, it said that of about 250 leading entrepreneurs and shareholders, 12 per cent were HDZ members. The HDZ presidency decided to dismiss and take legal action against "all those who have violated laws and damaged the HDZ's reputation." It called on government bodies at all levels to take necessary steps against all those responsible for malpractices and violations of the law. (hina) vm 262128 MET oct 96