Plenković: The Commission for Agrokor Should Cease Operations as Soon as Legal Proceedings Begin

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković reiterated on Friday in Brussels that the principle of legality requires that the investigative commission for Agrokor cease operations when legal proceedings begin, emphasizing that the government has nothing to hide regarding this conglomerate.

Plenković had previously stated this week that according to the Law on Investigative Commissions, if an investigation is initiated on the issues they address, the commissions must cease operations.

“I have clearly explained the stance of the HDZ in my annual report on the government’s work. We are here to respect the principle of legality. This commission, with such a mandate and such a topic, in accordance with Article 4 of the Law on Investigative Commissions, should cease operations,” the Prime Minister emphasized in response to journalists’ questions on the sidelines of the summit in Brussels.

He pointed out that neither he nor the members of the government have anything to hide regarding Agrokor, and suggested some joint parliamentary sessions.

“We are ready to discuss any topic, any detail. I even suggested joint sessions of the Finance Committee and the Economy Committee, as there is no reason for the Parliament not to discuss this, and even less reason for the entire focus to now be placed on whether there will be this or that body – the substance is what matters,” Plenković said.

“There are a whole range of possibilities for both the Parliament and the public to discuss all of this. It is crucial that there is not a single detail that I and the members of the government would not be ready to answer either in the committee or in the commission, from why we passed the law, how we passed it, to how we prevented the economic and financial crisis,” the Prime Minister emphasized.

He stressed that ‘Lex Agrokor’ was “developed in the government under the leadership of the Ministry of Economy, with the support of the Ministry of Justice, experts, as well as external consultants who were consulted,” adding that there is no need to insist on the names of the people who wrote the law, as the authors of other laws are also not known.

He stated that opposition parties have their political agendas, with the SDP trying to achieve “the equation of HDZ equals Agrokor, while Most, which was part of the government and is no longer, wants to take the opportunity to cause trouble.