Mršić: I went to police over Mesić's cousin

Koprivnica mayor emphasized that the police started dialogue on Tuesday with the City Hall members over Podravka resort abalienation

The Croatian media today has been overfown with all sorts of news on the issue that the police is combing through a Koprivnica City Hall building and that Zvonimir Mršić, the mayor of Koprivnica, was questioned on the same issue in the police station.

In fact, the mayor was mostly targeted over the Pirovac terrain abalienation to the GB Gradnja company, owned by Žarko Pavlina, also a cousin of the Croatian president.

In a telephone conversation Mršić revealed that the entire police investigation commenced only after the State Bar of the Republic of Croatia received an anonymus notification on the abalienation of the ancient Podravka resort in Pirovac to the GB Gradnja company.

- Due to the notification nature, the police immediately sent out police patrols on call on from this Tuesday. Numerous individuals have already being questioned, starting from the City Hall members, including all the staff employed from the year 2001, so that the necessary documentation on the case could be eventually formed - revealed Mršić.

He explained that the terrain was sold in a public bidding, without any malversations. He asserts that back in the era when the city of Koprivnica decided to pursue the terrain abalienation, a previous decision on the public bidding was concluded, following the decision previously confirmed at the City Hall public session. Two companies, Omikroncommerce and aforementioned GB Gradnja entered the bidding, both owned by Žarko Pavlina.

Abalienation forseen over the projects

Mršić emphasizes that only two previously mentioned companies entered the bidding, and that the City Hall concluded a public and univocal decision that the terrain will be sold to GB Gradnja, without further comments on the company ownership structure.

Questioned about why the City made such a decision, Mršić said that this whole procedure was previously planned over the 2007 city budget, while the money should've been used for the planned projects pay offs.

Mršić was also questioned whether he assumes that the anonymous notification originated from Damir Polančec, who from the initial discovery of Podravka affair frowardly's pointing his finger into Stjepan Mesić as the main suspect for the entire Koprivnica file.

- Polančec covered a lot of info lately. An opinion differs in it's own benevolence and it's clearly not good that these things occur. We judge differently on the same agenda. It's terrible that such a thing occured on November 4th, City day celebration, and that this day is that much desecrated, for the citizens of Koprivnica just haven't deserved it- confirmed Zvonimir Mršić.