May 12 (SeeNews) - Croatia's government said it will grant the state attorney's office, DORH, five million kuna ($731,200/673,000 euro) to cover costs related to an investigation of possible wrongdoing in the country's troubled food and retail Agrokor.
The sum, to be paid from Croatia's 2017 budget, will go to DORH to cover costs of accommodation, daily allowances, travel and hiring of financial experts and expert witnesses in the investigation of Agrokor, the government said in a press release on Thursday following its weekly sitting.
"We are demonstrating that it is in the government's best interest to, in a legal and institutional way, assist the competent authorities as they seek to illuminate events that took place in Agrokor and its units", prime minister Andrej Plenkovic said.
The opposition was quick to criticise the Plenkovic and the government, with some MPs claiming that the decision has no precedent in history.
In April, opposition Social Democratic Party, SDP, said it has submitted a request to parliament to set up a special commission that will look into reasons for the current crisis in Agrokor.
"We do not believe the government. A case study into Agrokor will allow citizens to uncover what is being done with their money and assets", SDP leader, Davor Bernardic, said at the time.
On April 10, the government named Ante Ramljak as receiver of Agrokor to lead a restructuring process in Croatia's largest private concern under a new law adopted by the parliament a week earlier. The law, commonly known as 'Lex Agrokor', was drafted by the government in response to the financial woes of Agrokor.
(1 euro= 7.42898 kuna)