ZAGREB, 9 October, 2021 - Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević on Friday refuted allegations of wrongdoings and conflict of interest in the Zagreb Holding multi-utility company, saying that the dismissed management board members should file a lawsuit if they know there had been illegal actions, because his conscience was clear.
"There have been various allegations or accusations that we want to use Zagreb Holding for our own financial benefit. I completely dismiss such accusations and tell everyone to file a lawsuit if we have done anything illegal. We are ready to deal with that," Tomašević told reporters in front of the City Administration.
Samodol's blog posts are defamation
His words were intended for former Zagreb Holding board members Ante Samodol and Nikola Vukolić, and he called Samodol's blog posts "defamation".
"There are many things there that aren't true, many misinterpretations of facts, but if I were to explain those things in great detail now, that would only prolong this," he said, noting that he was aware there were many political actors in whose interest it was to prolong this situation.
"I don't have the time for that," he said, adding that he was looking to the future of Holding, so he expected the three remaining board members to present a business plan for next year in a few weeks. The plan, he announced, will be presented to the public and the City Assembly.
Tomašević also called for making specific accusations, if there were any, that a member of Holding's Supervisory Board, Ratko Bajakić, had abused his position for business gain.
Deputy Mayor Danijela Dolenec also said that the accusations about the connection between her husband and Bajakić were "absurd".
"My husband and Bajakić don't know each other and have never cooperated. Ten years ago my husband worked at a company Bajakić bought a decade later. See for yourselves how absurd the accusations are," Dolenec said.
Jutarnji List daily reported in today's print edition that Ratko Bajakić, Tomašević's economy expert and the man appointed to the Supervisory Board of Zagreb Holding, could be in a conflict of interest situation because he has bonds of a company to which Holding pays money. That is the company Lanište, to which Holding pays HRK 65 million for the lease of Arena hall.
Jutarnji also wrote that Bajakić, as well as the husband of Tomašević's deputy Danijela Dolenec, was an investor in the startup Top Digital Agency. She claims they don't know each other.
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