The Ministry of the Interior on Wednesday refuted public allegations that the registered place of residence of the Prime Minister's chief-of-staff, Zvonimir Frka-Petesic, was fictitious.

Asked to publish a record of Frka-Petesic’s places of residence and temporary stay, the ministry said that this data is in its information system and classified, but that it could confirm that Frka-Petesic’s place of residence and temporary stay are regulated in line with the law.

When someone has both their place of residence and temporary stay regulated, their place of residence cannot be deemed fictitious, the ministry added.

The ministry also refuted claims that the permit for someone’s temporary abode could be extended only twice.

It explained that legislation regulating residence provides for an exemption – when the person concerned does a job that is not of a permanent nature in their registered abode, the registered temporary stay can last as long as their temporary employment.

The issue of Frka-Petesic’s residence and temporary stay was first raised by some media outlets.

Commenting on the case, President Zoran Milanovic said on Tuesday that Frka-Petesic having registered permanent residence on the island of Dugi Otok and using a state-owned flat in Zagreb “is an offence”.

Milanovic insisted that Frka-Petesic is a resident of Zagreb and was therefore not eligible for the flat he was currently using.

PM Andrej Plenkovic responded that Frka-Petesic was entitled to the state-owned flat in which he has been living during his registered temporary stay in Zagreb.

“If you know about a criminal offence and don’t report it, then you, too, are committing an offence, so I’m inviting him to file a criminal complaint to the State Attorney’s Office against Zvonimir Frka-Petesic or me as prime minister so we can see if there is a criminal offence there or if it’s an ill-intentioned, petty-political, arrogant, rude, unfounded political game,” Plenkovic said.

Explaining why Frka-Petesic registered as a permanent resident of Sali on Dugi Otok island, Plenkovic said that Frka-Petesic was born in Paris and did not own property either in France or Croatia, except his father’s family house in Sali, and that when he was appointed his chief-of-staff, he became a state secretary of the highest rank entitled to a state-owned flat in the capital city.

An office-holder’s term is temporary and so is Frka-Petesic’s stay in Zagreb, Plenkovic said.