Polančec: Everyone Knew Everything

The investigative commission for establishing facts regarding the privatization of INA and all contracts between the Government and MOL is today dealing with the second phase of privatization. The shareholders’ agreement was amended in January 2009. The number of members of the Supervisory Board of INA was then increased from seven to nine, with MOL receiving five seats, the Government three, and one for employee representatives, with the chairman of the Supervisory Board appointed by the Government, writes hrt.hr.

The management of INA has six members, three of whom represent the Government and three MOL, while MOL proposes the CEO. All problems related to INA stem from the privatization in 2003, emphasized Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Ivan Šuker. For him, the amendment of the shareholders’ agreement in 2009 was logical. He stated that negotiations on the amendments were led by Damir Polančec, who reported to the Government on everything. Although he was formally a member of the Commission for amending the shareholders’ agreement, Šuker claims he was not present at any meeting of that commission, could not say whether it even convened, and asserted that he had not even read the commission’s report on negotiations with MOL, for which he voted at the government meeting.

In response to a question from Zlatko Kovačević (HNS) whether it can be stated that key decisions at the government regarding INA were made when he was not at the helm of the Supervisory Board and at the proposal of the commission in whose work he did not participate, Šuker replied: “That’s right.” He also confirmed when asked if he was aware that the government’s advisor in the process of amending the contract with MOL was lawyer Zoran Marković, one of the directors of the company Fima Ami, who is linked to the affair in Podravka, but the chairwoman of the commission Dragica Zgrebec did not allow questions related to ongoing court processes.

“I led the entire negotiation process regarding the amendment of the shareholders’ agreement with MOL in consultation with government members and the Presidency of HDZ,” stated former Deputy Prime Minister Damir Polančec before the Commission. He emphasized that he never deviated from the negotiating framework outlined at the Government and HDZ Presidency meetings attended by all ministers in the government. He described in detail one presentation attended by Sanader, Kosor, Šeks, Janjak, Šuker, Bebić, Hebrang, Biškupić, and Kalmeta.

He also reported that almost all proposals made by government members were included in the final text of the amendments to the contract, among which he singled out Šuker and Minister of Environmental Protection Marina Matulović Dropulić. Polančec emphasized that all documents he used in negotiations protected the national interest and aimed at the development of INA. Reflecting on Šuker’s statement that he never attended the work of the Commission, he said that in the 4.5 years he was in the Government, Šuker never attended any government coordination for the economy that Polančec chaired.

He also emphasized that as part of the negotiations between the government and MOL, he met several times with former President Stjepan Mesić and then CEO of INA Tomislav Dragičević. He said that a detail from one gathering remained striking to him when Dragičević placed an envelope on the table containing INA’s card for unlimited fuel dispensing, which he claims he refused, although Dragičević told him that most members of the Supervisory Board of INA have and use such a card.

After Polančec, the CEO Zoltan Aldot is expected to appear before the commission. Former Prime Minister Ivo Sanader will not appear for questioning, as he did not receive an invitation, although according to President Ivo Josipović’s opinion, he should do so as he surely read it on the internet or heard it in the news. The commission will consider whether to send him a new invitation. (www.hrt.hr)