President Milanović on gas resale: Someone has to answer politically, if I decide to convene a Parliament session, I will do so alone without pressure

“That possibility exists and I absolutely won’t dismiss it, but I hope it won’t come to that if we get a clear answer as to who is to blame”, the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović commented on the gas affair and the Opposition’s initiative to call an extraordinary Parliamentary session.

“It’s a fact that gas was bought and sold at cut-price because it could not be stored. Evidently, some people who answer for that knew about it and someone has to answer politically for it. The State Prosecutor’s Office (DORH) should investigate whether a crime was committed and if there is an answer to the crucial question – who profited. But whatever DORH investigates can be no reason for the silence of the Prime Minister and the people who answer for it. Should those answers and reactions be satisfactory, I’ll consider it sufficient. If not, I will decide alone under no pressure by anyone because I have never consulted with anyone from the Opposition and I can’t receive people for consultations of that kind.”

He was asked by reporters about the gas scandal: “It’s criminal negligence bordering on a criminal offence. These are unbelievable things. There where I see elements of a criminal offence, I will openly talk about it. I want promptly an answer to the question where that gas ended up, who is responsible for the fact that one knew about this problem for months – a fact no one is denying – because HEP (power utility) allegedly notified those in charge, allegedly not once, and they didn’t do anything about it.”