The former secretary-general of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Ivan Jarnjak, said on Thursday that the party had received no money after it had returned an expensive BMW to its manufacturer, but had had to pay 84,000 euros in damages for its use.
"The car was paid when it was returned," Jarnjak told reporters in the Parliament building when asked how the party paid for the expensive vehicle and how much money it received after sending it back to the manufacturer.
Jarnjak, who had served as the HDZ's secretary-general at the time the car was purchased, said the payment had not been made on receipt of the vehicle, but on its return.
The bill from the BMW said "paid as agreed," meaning that the payment would be made in due time, Jarnjak said, adding that the payment was made when the party returned the vehicle and had to pay 84,000 euros in damages for its use.
Jarnjak said that all this was written in audit records and that the whole transaction had been conducted transparently. He denied the existence of slush funds in the HDZ, stressing that he did not have one.
Jarnjak said that the national anti-corruption office USKOK was also interested in how the HDZ purchased the BMW.
