Croatia Indicts Soros Employees

The Croatian government indicted three senior executives from a local branch of an international humanitarian foundation sponsored by U.S. billionaire George Soros, accusing them of financial malpractice and tax evasion. It was not clear what penalties the three might face. The indictment came after weeks of anti-Soros campaigning initiated by President Franjo Tudjman. Tudjman has accused the foundation, the Open Society Institute, of supporting his opponents and attempting to change the ownership of the country’s media. The state news agency HINA said the Zagreb public prosecutor charged that Soros employees had been receiving double salaries for a year--a regular one in Croatian currency and another in U.S. dollars that was not reported for state tax purposes. The allegedly unpaid taxes total $490,000. Arhey Neier, president of the Soros Foundations, parent of the Open Society Institute, said it believes the institute’s accounting practices were lawful and proper.