Prime Minister: The Appointment of Tonko Obuljen as Head of HAKOM Council is Not Nepotism

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković stated on Monday that the appointment of Tonko Obuljen, brother of Minister Nina Obuljen Koržinek, as the new president of the HAKOM Council was not nepotism because Obuljen has been dealing with this issue his entire life.

“This was a public competition, it concerns a man who has been dealing with these topics his whole life. As for the potential conflict of interest, the minister was not even in that Government,” Plenković responded to a journalist’s question during his stay in Jasenovac.

>>> Obuljen Koržinek Announced the Law on Electronic Media, Drafting Starts in January

Regarding the open letter from the Community of Founders of the HDZ of Zadar County, which calls for a postponement of the ratification of the Istanbul Convention and the announcement of an internal party referendum on this issue, Plenković said that “it is about a few people who have democratically expressed their opinion.”

“We are a democratic party, we can freely express our opinions, but what is important to me are the discussions with county organizations, where after reasoned debates, the majority of all members of those organizations supported the continuation of the process,” he said.

>>> Kuščević: The New Law on Preventing Conflicts of Interest Will Be Adopted by the Parliament, Not Josipa Rimac

Regarding the decision for Josipa Rimac, who herself was in a conflict of interest, to participate in drafting the Law on Conflicts of Interest, Plenković stated that she is a state secretary in the Ministry of Administration and is doing her job, her minister Lovro Kuščević is responsible for her, and all laws are drafted by working groups of the Ministry.