The Conflict of Interest Commission on Friday decided to launch proceedings to establish whether Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic was in conflict of interest when he failed to inform the public that Igor Pokaz, who has recently been appointed Croatia's ambassador to Great Britain, was the best man at his wedding.
During the appointment of Pokaz, a career diplomat, to the ambassadorial post in London, Plenkovic should have informed the public and relevant authorities that Pokaz was best man at his wedding, said the commission’s vice-chairman Davorin Ivanjek.
Plenkovic should have informed the government officials who prepared the nomination of Pokaz at the proposal of the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry, as well as President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, who co-signx appointment deicions, said Ivanjek.
Ivanjek said that this failure amounted to a breach of the Conflict of Interest Act.
The commission will consult experts on the law and constitution on whether Plenkovic could have exempted himself from the procedure of co-signing the decision on Pokaz’s appointment, he added.
These decisions are first signed by the head of government, and then by the head of state, who makes the final decision.
Prime Minister Plenkovic commented on the commission’s decision on Friday, saying that Pokaz was a good choice for the post.
I took part in assigning the man whom I’ve known since 1994, whom I worked with and who served as the ambassador in the NATO, in the Russian Federation, who worked in our mission to the UN, Plenkovic said.
“To exempt myself from the role I was democratically elected to perform… is out of the question,” he said, adding that, following that logic, he should recuse himself from deciding on all the appointments in the diplomatic service.
“I pretty much know all of those people, they are my acquaintances, my friends, I’ve known them for 25 years… the President, former Prime Minister (Zoran) Milanovic, who also comes from that circle, would be in the same position,” Plenkovic said.
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