ZAGREB, June 3, 2020 - Environment and Energy Minister Tomislav Coric on Tuesday commented on the wind park scandal, saying that after consultations with the Chief State Prosecutor's Office (DORH), it was decided to annul a decision on a new acceptability estimate for the Krs-Padjene wind park, thereby unblocking the project.
In May and June 2017, before I took the minister's office, consultations began with DORH on the matter, after which we embarked on annulling the decision from March in order to protect Croatia's interest and defend ourselves from potential lawsuits, Coric told reporters in Karlovac.
A potential lawsuit could have been filed by the investor to sue Croatia for damages that could have been incurred by the failure to realise the project, he said.
Staff from the ministry's legal and environmental protection departments consulted the deputy chief state prosecutor in July before a commission was established and the decision was annulled, Coric said, adding that in the meantime he exchanged e-mails with the then chief state prosecutor Dinko Cvitan and his deputies.
Asked why his predecessor Slaven Dobrovic did not do that, Coric said the reason was that during his 18 months in office, Dobrovic "did nothing about environmental protection and energy."
He added that Dobrovic's decision of March was subject to a lawsuit. He said the goal of the commission established in July 2017 was to protect Croatia's long term interests in this case.
Asked if it was customary for the executive authority to consult DORH, Coric said that in this case, it was necessary.
Given that the direction could have been problematic for Croatia, we contacted DORH. If we hadn't, I doubt I would have made such a decision, he added.
Coric went on to say that he met with the investor in the Krs-Padjene wind park, Milenko Basic, several times at the ministry in the company of his lawyers and that Basic informed him about his intentions.
I did not see that as pressure because, as the investor, he only presented his legal positions, Coric said, adding that he never discussed the project with Josipa Rimac, a former state secretary at the Public Administration Ministry arrested last week as part of a probe into the wind park project on suspicion of corruption.
Speaking of the Krs-Padjene wind park project, he said: "It's been completed, I don't know if entirely. I suppose incentives have started too." He added that it was private investment.
