SDP insists on the committee, HDZ is against, but might possibly change its mind.
“There is no need to fear the establishment of the Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry on Agrokor,” said a prominent HDZ member after former Foreign Minister Miro Kovač (HDZ) yesterday stated that he “does not see why HDZ would not support the establishment” of such committee, reports Jutarnji List on September 25, 2017.
Another party source explained that it had been never officially announced that HDZ was against the committee. “The question was always when the committee should be established. When the State Attorney’s Office (DORH) initiates an investigation, then the committee makes no sense, and so far there has been an informal indication that the DORH might get involved,” said the high-ranking source.
It seems that not everybody in HDZ supports the position of party president and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and his closest associates, who said that the committee was unnecessary and would just hinder the judicial investigation. SDP, the main opposition party, insists on the committee and has said it would block the election of new members of the Constitutional Court unless the committee of inquiry is established.
Member of Parliament Miro Kovač stated yesterday, “I personally do not see why HDZ would not agree to the establishment of the committee, just like we used to have such committees on other topics.”
Reacting to recent public statements on his blog by Agrokor owner Ivica Todorić, most HDZ officials say that he is trying to present himself as a political victim. “Deputy Prime Minister Dalić was right when she told him that he was still the owner and that, if he has the money to pay off creditors, he can come and take over his company back.”
Another source close to Prime Minister Plenković explained that the Prime Minister did not want the committee because he thought it would just intensify political conflicts. “There are about 150 people from DORH and the police working on the case, and their investigation has already gone quite far. The committee would just be used for political arguments,” commented the source.
Similar committees were established about different topics in previous years, but they have never brought any real results. The ruling coalition always has the majority of members, so the conclusions mostly follow its wishes. Still, there is a possibility that, during hearings and interviews with witnesses, embarrassing information could be discovered, which is the reason why such committees are quite rare.
