Sanader allegedly bought coalition partner with Fimi-Media money

Former Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader has allegedly used controversial Fimi-Media money to "buy" a coalition partner, Barisic and Jurak's testimonies reveal.Sanader is said to have paid half a million kunas (67,376 Euros) to the now-former official of a parliamentary party. If proven true, the information could bring into question the regularity of the 2007 elections.The testimonies of the former Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) politician Mladen Barisic and the owner of PR company Fimi-Media Nevenka Jurak have implicated several public figures, including Sanader.The local media has reported Barisic's claim that he had given Sanader 30 million kunas (4.04 million Euros) in cash, obtained through fraudulent business with Fimi-Media.Fimi-Media had been the "go to" firm for numerous state companies and institutions when it came to public relations work. Many of these jobs had been handed over to the PR firm through rigged public bidding.A lot of the company's profits went back into the hands of officials who used the money for funding HDZ's election campaign, amongst other things. Part of the cash was also used for purchasing ownership in two media outlets.The next steps of the investigation will have to confirm the accuracy of the testimonies. The outcome will decide whether those implicated in the case will be summoned to court as witnesses or defendants, the daily Jutarnji List writes.

Source: Croatian Times Online News