The president of the SDP, Davor Bernardić, called on Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Monday to answer the Croatian public who lied – his Minister of Finance Zdravko Marić or his extraordinary commissioner Ante Ramljak?
After the Government’s extraordinary commissioner for Agrokor, Ante Ramljak, published a revised financial report, Bernardić accused Plenković of failing to clarify who wrote lex Agrokor and what representatives of the vulture fund Knighthead were doing in the Government before the writing of lex Agrokor, and whether Knighthead stands behind that law.
The issue is that Ramljak reported a capital loss of over 20 billion kuna, raising the question of how it was possible to present such a loss in the books all these years, Bernardić said at a press conference at the SDP headquarters.
>>>Agrokor d.d. reports a loss of 10.84 billion kuna, group capital reduced by 22 billion kuna in two years
It is clear that Todorić was not alone in this business; many helped him, and we expect accountability to be established, said the SDP leader. This is still a continuation of the divorce proceedings between HDZ and Todorić, Bernardić asserted, adding that the way the case will unravel could be disastrous for the Croatian economy.
“The only positive news in this whole story is that such a thing will no longer be possible in Croatia; it will not be possible to falsify financial reports, nor the frauds that have occurred,” Bernardić believes.
Five months ago, instead of saving 40,000 jobs in Agrokor, Plenković saved one job, that of his Minister of Finance Zdravko Marić, who said back in January that everything was fine in Agrokor, he stated.
Bernardić claimed that the vulture fund Knighthead would earn 70 percent of the debt amount from the Agrokor transaction, and demanded an answer from Plenković on how it is possible for one company to earn so much from the struggling Agrokor in such a situation.
>>>The audit identified a number of irregularities, Ramljak filed a criminal complaint and engaged forensic experts
He also seeks clarification from the Prime Minister regarding his connection with the authors of lex Agrokor and why he has not yet put the investigative committee for Agrokor on the agenda, urging him to stop hiding behind the order of voting and to have the investigative committee for Agrokor voted on in the Parliament on Wednesday.
How is it possible that no financial report on Agrokor’s operations has been published for five months, while we heard from Ramljak that Agrokor’s operations were excellent during that period, he asked, inviting Ramljak to present data on Agrokor’s operations over the last five months.
There is enough practice in Croatia of accusing someone of crime and corruption, and that person ends up peeling potatoes, Bernardić said, noting that Todorić definitely could not have acted alone, without a network from politics and companies.
The story is getting murkier and more complicated, and that is why we insist on an investigative committee, concluded Bernardić, who expects Todorić, Plenković, and Ramljak to be the first to appear before the committee.
Petrov: There is no single scapegoat
The leader of Most, Božo Petrov, commenting on the revised financial report on Agrokor on Monday, stated that “there is no single scapegoat” and that if the Croatian National Bank, the Tax Administration, the Ministry of Finance, and all politicians have been silent for ten years, then one can only speak of a concealed, organized, criminal endeavor.
“There is no single scapegoat because the system clearly did not function here,” Petrov stated in the Parliament.
From what could be seen today, he said, the responsibility lies with HANFA, the Ministry of Finance, the tax administration, and the Croatian National Bank.
>>>Agrokor audit: Consolidated loss of 11.04 billion, total debt of 56 billion kuna
“These are the right questions. Six months ago, we came out with information that the Tax Administration had not inspected Agrokor d.d. for ten years. If the Croatian National Bank was silent for ten years, if the Tax Administration was silent for ten years, if the Ministry of Finance and all politicians were silent for ten years, then I can only speak of a concealed, organized, criminal endeavor.”
Petrov also reminded that it was Most that managed to impose the topic of Agrokor in the Government.
When asked whether the current Minister of Finance Zdravko Marić should resign, Petrov responded with counter-questions: “Who sent Mr. Marić to the meeting in Agrokor? Mr. Plenković! Who asked Mr. Marić at the meeting in the Government with Mr. Todorić to present all the possibilities that could be made by the state? Mr. Plenković! I want to talk about Mr. Plenković and his role! And that is the reason why he defends Mr. Marić so much.”
He emphasized the importance of forming a parliamentary investigative committee for Agrokor. “I want honest and decent people in that committee, if possible,” Petrov stated, adding that he wants it to start working immediately without any delays.
Sinčić: Falsifying reports in Agrokor is a disgrace for the country and its institutions
The president of the Living Wall, Ivan Vilibor Sinčić, assessed on Monday that “falsifying reports in Agrokor is a disgrace for the country and its institutions, which have tolerated fraud for decades,” and considers it absurd that the proposed members of the investigative committee for Agrokor were in power at the time when the irregularities mentioned in the revised financial report of Agrokor occurred.
“It is necessary to consolidate all criminal complaints that have been filed against Agrokor for decades, and for which nothing has been done, with the latest ones from Ramljak and Todorić, and to seek criminal liability from all managements,” Sinčić emphasized in a statement released on Monday after the presentation of the revised financial reports of Agrokor Group and Agrokor d.d.
>>>Mrak-Taritaš: Nepotism capitalism has been confirmed, the intertwining of private capital and the state
“It is now completely clear that all former Prime Ministers and Ministers of Economy, Agriculture, and especially Finance knew or should have known everything that was happening around and in Agrokor,” Sinčić stated.
“Through privileged loans, huge incentives, concessions over land and water sources for small amounts, tolerating tax evasion, violating workers’ rights, using vouchers, and numerous other favors, the authorities allowed Todorić to turn Agrokor into what it is today. Croatia is too small a country for how big Agrokor is, and the huge holes and frauds that have now emerged were certainly noticed by the ministers long before, and that is precisely why we demand their political accountability. It is absurd that the proposed members of the Agrokor Committee were all either in power or are in power at the time when the mentioned irregularities occurred,” the president of the Living Wall emphasized in the statement.
HNS does not want to interfere in court processes or individual accountability of individuals
The Croatian People’s Party – Liberal Democrats stated that regarding the presented revised financial report of Agrokor d.d. and the revised consolidated financial report of the group, they do not want to interfere in court processes or potential individual accountability of individuals, and that they are only interested in the future of Agrokor.
The past of Agrokor is generally well known to everyone, and it is indisputable that it is a concern that had a significant impact on Croatian industry and agriculture. Many good moves were made, but also bad ones, which resulted in the company getting stuck in significant financial problems. How this happened and who is responsible will be investigated by the relevant state bodies and institutions, which will, if irregularities are established, ultimately act in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Croatia, the statement says.
For HNS, the most important thing is the future and future operations of Agrokor, focusing on its further development, for the benefit of all its employees and the Croatian economy in general, with an emphasis on repaying debts to all suppliers, saving jobs, and preserving Croatian agriculture and industrial production, it is stated.
HNS calls on all actors in the Croatian political scene to seriousness and responsibility in public communication regarding Agrokor.
