Z. Marić: Ensuring Necessary Liquidity in Agrokor is Now the Focus

Finance Minister Zdravko Marić stated on Tuesday that the current focus is on ensuring the necessary liquidity in Agrokor and believes that this will happen during this week.

“At this moment, the focus is primarily on ensuring the necessary liquidity for the Agrokor system. We have an offer concerning existing creditors of Agrokor, some of the largest banks that are part of Agrokor’s capital structure. The new commissioner is discussing this matter with them along with his team,” said Minister Marić to reporters after the first meeting of the Council for Slavonia, Baranja, and Srijem.

Marić is confident that the financial resources will be secured during this week.

In response to a journalist’s inquiry, he also commented on media reports stating that he said Agrokor has no tax debt.

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“I repeat once again that one should carefully read the words I said – the finance minister and any other employee of the Tax Administration of the Ministry of Finance are bound by tax secrecy,” said Marić.

He explained that at the time when the media speculated about Agrokor’s tax debt of 6 billion kuna, or 800 million euros, he stated that this was not true.

“For that fact, or that speculation, I said it was incorrect, and I stated that I cannot comment on the details of the tax debt itself. But at the same time, I said that the Tax Administration is doing everything within its authority, in accordance with the law and regulations, in terms of efficient collection of tax debt and that there is no preferential treatment towards any taxpayer, including Agrokor. No taxpayer has a preferential status,” emphasized Marić.

He added that there were also questions about why Agrokor was not on the list of tax debtors and explained that the previous, as well as the currently applicable law, prescribes the conditions and circumstances under which and which taxpayer qualifies for that list.

“Two conditions must be met. It is evident that in this case, if the Tax Administration did not place that taxpayer on the list, then both conditions were not met, namely – a debt over 300,000 kuna, or a debt that has been due for more than 90 days,” highlighted Marić.

Reflecting on the opposition’s announcement that they would initiate his recall, Marić reiterated that he would comment on that when and if it is formally undertaken.

>>>Grbin: Minister Marić Must Leave or We Will Initiate Recall Proceedings

He stated that he would gladly respond in the Parliament and explain everything, as he has been subjected to many unfounded accusations in recent days and hopes that he will have enough space and time in the Parliament to adequately respond to them.

When asked by a journalist to clarify how he voted yesterday at the Government session for the proposal of Agrokor’s extraordinary commissioner Ante Ramljak, while stating that he would recuse himself from decision-making regarding Agrokor, Marić stated that he said he would recuse himself from decision-making regarding everything related to the drafting of the law and certain steps that were taken at that stage.

“Of course, I am the finance minister, I am at the head of an institution – the Ministry of Finance, which existed before me and will exist after me. The Ministry of Finance was involved in that process. However, since yesterday, a second phase has been initiated, for which I believe there is no longer a need for recusal, given that neither then nor now, especially, am I in any conflict of interest,” said Marić.