ZAGREB, 23 Feb 2022 - Some opposition MPs on Wednesday commented on the arrest of former minister Darko Horvat on suspicion of abuse of office, and the case of allocating incentives in a non-transparent fashion.

Katarina Peović of the Workers' Front said the ruling HDZ party "is the third natural disaster, after the pandemic and the earthquakes," that had hit Croatia.

She said that in 2018, when Horvat served as economy minister, he was texting with his aide on the allocation of incentives to small businesses in a non-transparent fashion, while the Uljanik shipyard was in agony.

"The only thing Uljanik needed to maintain production and keep jobs was a HRK 150,000 state guarantee, but there was neither the need nor the will for that, while money was being given to small businesses without criteria", Peović said, adding that the collapse of Uljanik, Brodotrogir and Orljava is much more dangerous than what Horvat is being accused of.

"Taking the state attorney general to task is the twilight of every reasonable democracy and law-based state, that's a violation of constitutional principles," Željko Sačić of the Sovereignists said about the prime minister's statements on Saturday following Horvat's arrest.

He called on state attorneys to do their job to the maximum. "You are the only possibility we have of saving Croatia", he added.

State Attorney General "Zlata Hrvoj Šipek has sent the prime minister the clear message that his ministers are corrupt, that they are stealing from the state budget," said Milan Vrkljan of For a Just Croatia, criticising the prime minister for calling out Hrvoj Šipek for the timing of Horvat's arrest and for demanding stronger evidence.

"The State Attorney's Office has knocked on Horvat's door, two other ministers are being mentioned, and what they all have in common is that they are not competent and the procedure of their selection is unclear", Vrljkan said, especially criticising Labour Minister Josip Aladrović.

"He's a lazybones doing his job by belittling, without social intelligence," he said, calling on the prime minister to remove such ministers.

Speaker Gordan Jandroković said it was unfair to talk about someone who could not defend himself.

Branko Bačić of the ruling HDZ said Vrkljan should not preach morality given that "the public knows" the epilogue of his trial, evidently referring to a trial in which Vrkljan and a hospital colleague were accused of bribe-taking, but the indictments were dismissed due to the statute of limitations.

Parliament today added eight items to the agenda, including two opposition motions for its dissolution.         

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