Croatia's New Ministers Start Revealing Assets

When officials of the new centre-right government and first-time MPs filled in their asset declaration on Wednesday, some reported surprisingly modest assets in term of private properties.

According to regulations all new state officials have to declare all of their assets - salaries, real estate, savings, loans, shares and bonds, cars - owned by them or their spouses. Submissions must be made to the Conflict of Interest Commission on assuming office.

Parliament confirmed the new government, formed by the right-swing Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, the Bridge of the Independent Lists, MOST and junior partners, on January 22.

Only four of the 23 ministers in the government have filled in their declarations so far.

MOST's economy minister, Tomislav Panenic, who was earlier mayor of the eastern municipality of Tompojevci, said his real estate assets consisted of an apartment, a house, farmland and vineyards worth around 285,000 euro in total. He also own two old Ford cars and two tractors.

Miro Kovac, the Foreign Minister, from the HDZ, reported an apartment in Zagreb worth around 220,000 euro, for which he still has a loan worth around 160,000 euro. He also reported his wife's Mercedes, worth around 20,000 euro.

Slaven Dobrovic, the new environment minister, from MOST, reported the biggest assets among the ministers that so far filled in the declarations. He reported seven real estate properties owned by him and his wife, worth around 320,000 euro in total.

The most modest of all ministers that filled in his declaration is Oleg Butkovic, the new maritime affairs, transport and infrastructure minister, from the HDZ, who only reported an apartment of 116 square metres in the coastal town of Novi Vinodolski, apparently worth a...

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