Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) leader Tomislav Karamarko on Tuesday responded to questions from the press regarding accusations by the ruling Social Democratic Party (SDP) that he had received a report by the Office of the National Security Council about printouts of phone records several days before its publication. He said that documents and the report were submitted to the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister and the parliamentary National Security Committee of which he is a member.
Karamarko wondered if it was logical to dismiss the head of the Office of the National Security Council, Petar Misevic, who had uncovered the scandal. "If there were no irregularities, why was he relieved, and if there were irregularities and he uncovered them, he should have been commended," the leader of the strongest opposition party said at a press conference in Rijeka.
"They relieved him because they needed time to cover up the documents that would have reached the parliamentary Committee, which would have shown that those are the real documents and not the ones we received," he said, adding that he was afraid that now "they will attack Misevic for fabricating the whole case."
When asked why he was asking for a parliamentary inquiry commission to be set up in this case and if he thought that the parliamentary Committee was not enough, Karamarko said that the HDZ wanted all details and the whole truth about the case. He said that the Committee sometimes cannot do that because it does not have specialised people. He said he would insist on an inquiry commission being formed even though he found out today that his proposal had been rejected.
Commenting on a joint press conference by President Ivo Josipovic and Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic on Monday about this matter, Karamarko said he was disappointed that Josipovic "agreed to defend the lie". He said that Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic should consider resigning because he too was responsible because he did not know what was going on. "If Ostojic knew, then it is also the question of Prime Minister Milanovic," he added.
Karamarko was in Rijeka for a meeting of the HDZ Presidency which discussed the current political situation and preparations for the next local elections. The HDZ Presidency meeting was followed by a meeting of the party's National Council.
