Croatia News - CroatiaPress.com

Zagreb, February 14 (CP) – The Turkish Koc Holding has sold 50.8 percent of the Migros supermarket chain to the Moonlight Capital company for $ 1.66 billion, thus snubbing the offer by the Croatian Agrokor company owned by tycoon Ivica Todoric.

Agrokor has fallen short of a stake in the Turkish company, which is currently estimated to be worth $3.32 billion and has improved its market value by 10 percent over the past week.

Migros is a Turkish supermarket chain comprising 953 stores across Turkey and covered 8.6 percent of the market at the end of 2006.

Zagreb, February 14 (CP) – A former Croatian army officer has been sentenced to four years in prison for raping a 12-year-old girl and for using child pornographic materials.

He had been charged with maintaining sexual relations with the 12-year-old child during October and November 2006.

The 39-year-old man met the victim through an Internet chat site and later came to her home when her parents were not in and had sex with her on several occasions.

The child’s mother had some suspicions and took her daughter to the doctors where it was confirmed the child had had sex, something the girl herself admitted to to both her parents and the police.

The former Croatian army officer admitted to exchanging text messages with the girl, but denied forcing her to have sex with him.
 

Zagreb, February 14 (CP) — After eight months of investigation, the USKOK anti-corruption agency brought indictments against ten persons who took part in illegal activities at the Croatian Privatisation Fund (HFP).

The ten have been indicted for taking bribes, abetting in handing bribes, giving bribes, giving away business secrets and misuse of position and authority.

Nine of the ten are already in custody, while one is still at large. During a one-year secret operation, three HFP deputy presidents were arrested, as well as several people suspected of giving and taking bribes.

Zagreb, February 14 (CP) — In order to secure the success of a referendum on EU entry, Croatian authorities are to adjust the constitution.

The changes are worked on by the former parliament speaker Vladimir Seks.

The SDP leader Zoran Milanovic said that changes to the constitution and issues regarding the referendum on EU membership should be conducted in a rational manner.

While the HNS leader Vesna Pusic claims that the issue of the Diaspora needs to be regulated, especially its members’ voting rights in both the elections and the referendum.

Zagreb, February 13 (CP) – Croatian high jumper Blanka Vlasic has captured her 20th win in a row at the international high jump meet in Split clearing 202 centimetres.

This was Vlasic’s fifth win of the season.

Vlasic took part in the meet in her hometown, despite suffering from hip pains and cleared 202, but failed in clearing 205 centimetres.

Also taking part were the best high jump athletes of the world including Vita Palamar from the Ukraine, Svetlana Skolina from Russia, Romana Dubnova from the Czech Republic and several others.

Zagreb, February 13 (CP) — Journalist Drago Hedl, the deputy editor-in-chief of Feral Tribune weekly received a threatening letter sent from Beli Manastir, in which he was called a squeal, a secret witness and was advised to beware.

The receipt of the letter by Hedl was announced by the Feral Tribune weekly on Wednesday.

Hedl handed over the letter to the police.

Several other persons in some way linked to the Branimir Glavas trial received similar letters.

Glavas and six others have been on trial for war crimes committed against Serb civilians in Osijek in 1991.

Zagreb, February 13 (CP) – Some nine people arrested on Monday after a clamp down on corruption by the USKOK anti-corruption agency who were providing falsified documents to individuals wanting to secure disability pensions have faced the investigative judge at the Split county court on Wednesday.
The police demanded the extension of their custody by 24 hours in order for witnesses and colalborators to be questioned.
A medical technician is said to have been at the helm of the operation which provided false documents, herself an allegedly war-disabled veteran and her husband, a retired Croatian army officer was also part of the group.
Several doctors owning private practices were involved in the scam.
The USKOK operation lasted for eight months, its undercover agents securing own fake medical documents that could have secured them special benefits.
A similar operation was conducted in the eastern Croatian town of Osijek, where five people were arrested.
If charged, members of the two criminal gans will face up to 10 years in prison.

Zagreb, February 13 (CP) – A family, father, mother and daughter were robbed in broad daily light at a motorway roadside near the Croatian capital Zagreb, as they attempted to change a flat tyre.
The robbery happened as the man parked his car at the side of the road in an attempt to change a flat tyre and a car pulled over next to his vehicle.
The family thought nothing of this and thought the driver of the other car had stopped to offer assistance.
To their surprise, the passenger in the car came over and grabbed the woman’s purse from the front seat, stealing her documents and mobile phone.
The indcident is being investigated by police.

Zagreb, February 13 (CP) – The Croatian Privatisation Fund (HFP) is to publish a tender for the sale of the KIM dairy based in Karlovac.

The postponement of the tender has been justified by the holding of the recent parliamentary elections and the forming of the new government.

However, the delay has resulted in a number of potential investors turning away from KIM, which needs to find a new owner as soon as possible securing regular wages and production.

Zagreb, February 13 (CP) – Hrvatski Potrosac, the consumer protection organisation has reacted to the latest announcement of bread prices being increased by as much as 50 percent in the wake of fertilizer prices going up by 19 percent.

The Farmers’ Organisation has announced that in July a loaf of bread would cost 10 kuna, as farmers will start using pricey fertilizer in February.

The consumer protection organisation Hrvatski Potrosac has said such announcements were baseless, as fertilizer only accounts for 28 to 33 percent of price of wheat growing, which could only bring about an increase in the price of wheat of five percent, which cannot result in the increase of bread prices by as much as 50 percent.

Potrosac has criticised the announcement by saying that producers were taking advantage of price increases to secure extra profit, which in the end hits the consumer pocket.

Consumer protection organisations have called on the government to use measures at its disposal to stop such unrealistic and baseless price increases.