Croatia

[HR] Investigations into Croatian Media Magnate End

IRIS 2001-6:1/17

Kresimir Macan

HRT, Croatian Radiotelevision, Zagreb

The founder and co-owner of the biggest Croatian media company Europapress Holding (EPH) was cleared of all charges against him and his supposed partners which led to investigations in December 2000.

On 4 December 2000 the first issue of the new daily Republika carried a cover page article on an alleged partnership between him and other media magnates with facsimiles of a contract dated 17 September 1997. The aim of the contract among the - at that time - 100% owner of EPH, the owner of daily Slobodna Dalmacija and of Tisak newspaper distribution and the owner of local Zagreb TV - OTV was to establish a media monopoly under the political patronage of the former ruling party in the fields of printed media, radio and television, which included the licence for the first private national TV concession. On 29 March 2001 Izvanraspravno vije´ce éupanijskog suda u Zagrebu (Grand Jury of Zagreb's County Court) rejected all criminal charges of plotting to take complete control of the country's media as unfounded.