Court hands Plenković a victory in dispute with Conflict of Interest Commission

The Zagreb Administrative Court has admitted a lawsuit filed by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and quashed a decision by the Conflict of Interest Commission that found the PM had breached conflict of interest rules.

The Conflict of Interest Commission concluded in October that Prime Minister Plenković breached the principle of conscientious and transparent conduct when he appointed a close friend, Igor Pokaz, as ambassador to the UK.

The ruling quashes the Commission's decision and suspends the proceedings in the case. The Conflict of Interest Commission has also been ordered to compensate Plenković for litigation costs in the amount of HRK 3,125.

The Commission has said that it will appeal the court's ruling and that it would continue to hold office holders accountable for their conduct.

In its decision the Conflict of Interest Commission found that Plenkovic had failed to act conscientiously and transparently by failing to disclose that Pokaz was his close friend when he appointed Pokas to the post of ambassador.

In a lawsuit filed with the Administrative Court, the prime minister contested the Commission's authority to make declaratory decisions determining violations of principles of conduct because he believes that the relevant legal regulation exclusively defines general principles of conduct for office-holders and that the relevant law does not envisage the possibility of imposing sanctions over a violation of those principles.

Plenković told reporters that he had the right to seek protection under the law from actions that had inflicted damage to his reputation.

The prime minister has also sued the Conflict of Interest Commission over its decision in a case related to a trip of a senior government delegation to Helsinki, where they attended the annual assembly of the European People's Party. A hearing in that case has been set for March 19.

Source: HINA/HRT