Vladimir Gredelj, a legal counsel for the HDZ, declined to comment on the case on Monday.

"Today and tomorrow I am not thinking about any case," the lawyer said in response to Hina's question whether the party would submit an appeal against the blockade of its property. He referred to the fact that tomorrow, All Saints Day, November 1, is a bank and national holiday in Croatia.

Zagreb County Court spokesman Kresimir Devicic said today that he could not comment on the motion for taking the HDZ's property into legal custody, citing confidentiality of the investigation.

Devcic, however, explained that a court ruling on the impoundment could become final only after the expiry of a three-day deadline for appeals which could be lodged with the Supreme Court in such cases.

According to media reports, the Office for the Suppression of Corruption and Organised Crime (USKOK) has requested the seizure of the HDZ's headquarters in Zagreb and some other real estate and movable property owned by this political party pending the outcome of the corruption probe in the Fimi Media case, which was expanded recently to the HDZ as a legal entity.

The media speculate that the investigation, launched 18 months ago, has recently been expanded to several former party members and officials. If suspicion about a slush fund is proven to be correct, the party could be fined eight million kuna.

By blocking the party's property, the creditor, in this case the state, financially covers itself pending completion of the probe or a trial against the party for a series of corruption cases in which millions of kuna were syphoned from state companies and agencies through the Fimi Media private company, the Croatian Television said on Sunday.