The owner of the firm for "business intelligence" "Soboli" Ltd. Tomislav Karamarko, in the interview with the chief executive of "Vjesnik" Andrea Latinovic, didn' t have any other complaints on the text published in "Vjesnik's" column "Panorama subotom" from 28.08.2004., except  the information that he is an owner of the house on Mljet. Because of that, we are giving the text of Zeljko, published in "Vjesnik", but without mentioned information, which is irrelevant. That part will be in brackets and dots. What is far more important, the parts of integral text, which were not published in "Vjesnik" because of "the lack of the space", and which were very important for the theme, we will put in this text and point out with red colour.

28. 08. 2004. PANORAMA SUBOTOM (The Column on Saturday)

Karamarko becomes the chief of all croatian spies?

Tomislav Karamarko

Speculations that Tomislav Karamarko, by taking the place of the chief of election commitee of president candidate and now the President of Croatia Stipe Mesic, got the warrants from Premier Sanader and President Mesic about their approval that in  secret services must be returned the Office for national security, started the talks in intelligence-police lines. On the head of the Office, by that speculations, would be Karamarko.

 Till now, came on surface, in certain medias, only lies about T. Karamarko, like one that he established, together with Stipe Mesic, HDZ in 1989. and that he in 2000. requested from inspections of UNS enter in branch-office in Zagreb of  POA, because of suspicions that POA illegally eavesdropped the citizens. Besides, it is said that he, as a chief of zagreb police department in 1994., supported  criminal proceedings in case of "Gradski podrum " (City basement) and Miroslav Kutle.

President Mesic publicly confesed that he made a mistake and gave up Karamarko's services in 2002. and let the UNS to be thrown out of intelligence and security system. Prsesident even said several times that he would like to see Karamarko in his preelection team, but that he iwas also aware that Karamarko's values reised, because, in the meanwhile, he has became very successful businessman with his own firm in the field of security.

Till now about that firm and its success we couldn't hear much. What we can hear, the firm "Soboli Ltd." T. Karamarko activated in 2002. by moving in the rooms rented from lawyer Boris Safaric , in the center of Zagreb, on number 9A, in Andrija Kacic Miosic Street. It is said that the firm should deal with intelligence and protecting business and that a part in that property is owned by "Globus's" columnist – Zeljko Malnar.

Soon it is found out that in the field of protection jobs, "Soboli" took over the civil protection of  Ninoslav Pavic, joint owner of EPH, who already was the victim of attempt on his life.

Pavic's personal guard has became a bodyguard of the deceased president Franjo Tudjman and he also has carried the cross on Tudjman's funeral ceremony, Dragan Skrtic.

There were some suspicious that "Soboli", at the very beginning, made business contracts with "Ina" and "VIPnet".

Good conections

Miro Laco

There were presumptions that Karamarko started business leaning on his good connectionsin intelligence and police, also the political circles, and not on some financial sources, which he could hardly save of his and his wife's clerk salaries.

When it was heard that Davorin Pavlovic worked in "Soboli", who was ex chief of department for conections in Police of Croatia, by many thoughts, one of the best experts in the country in that field, who also was covering the technics of eavesdropping of telephones, and Ivan Baketa, former chief of National agency for electronic investigation (NSA) and mr. Boris Smiljanic , former chief of one department in Military – security agency (VSA), the questions appeared about jobs of that firm.

At once appeared statements that Karamarko will offer services of electronic supervision of comunications, and in outside circles was said that "Soboli" has better equipment than the state has, for eavesdropping of legal agencies.

Baketa and Smiljanic, as representatives of "Soboli", were on a summit last year about "business intelligence ", and other informations for media about works in "Soboli" we can't find.

It was impossible to get Karamarko on the phone, and it was told from his nearest circles, that he was on vacations in Mljet (.......  ......), far away from nervous Zagreb Circles, in which was disscussed all variants conected with his name.

On the address Andrija Kacic Miosic nr.9A, on the street side, we can't see informations about "Soboli". The ones who are better informed, when they see the door-plate "IPPSON – Skrtic" will know that they are on the right place. In the yard, on the same mail box, there are also names "Soboli" and "IPPSON", what is saying that Karamarko and Skrtic has their separate firms in one place.

Protection services

There is a question, for what purpose does Skrtic need a firm, if he only works as a bodyguard of Ninoslav Pavic.

Smiljan Reljić

When we recently tried to get some informations in "IPPSON" about protection services, some woman's voice asked where did we get their number and said that they didn't give protection services and that we should ask for that in stete agency for commercial business.

We were totally confused and found on Internet on web site of that agency that "Soboli" is on the list of users of technical protection AKD. That should mean that Karamarko and his business partners do not work in phisical protection and they are connected in field of technical protection leaning on a state firm.

If is to believe to speculations that Karamarko has good business contracts with "Ina" and "Pliva ", it seems that intelligence evaluations are more and more popular and business intelligence also, and the main job that he is preforming.

One businessman from that circles tell us that it is a really profitable job, because also when the international compnies invest somewhere a big amount of money or hire new managers, they ask for a services from nearest firm for business intelligence, and the informations they receive are expensive.

By informations we have about success of Karamarko's job, we can only guess. What worry liberaly oriented political circles, and is in connection with approval of president Mesic and premier Sanader that Karamarko become the head chief of all directors of secret services, the connections of that businessman with conservative political circles and former workers in intelligence, known from unpleasant stories.

In 2000. when he was very powerful and had several functions in the President's Office, T. Karamarko was planning to arrange a meeting of active generals of HV (Croatian Military srvice) at that time, Mirko Norac and Ante Gotovina with President Mesic. The generals were already in the Office, but the President refuse to see them, in the last moment. Recently, explaining his activities around the case of forsaken general Gotovina, President Mesic said something about that case like that the meeting between him and general Gotovina has been organized in 2000.

Ozren Žunec

Tomislav Karamarko has the most credits beauce Ozren Zunec was only several months in place of chief of HIS, and because he was spectacularly dismissed, with escort and ransacking of special police forces, and on his place came former policeman Damir Loncaric.

The circles close to Zeljko Bagic, later President's adviser for national security, say that Karamarko wanted to see Miro Laco in place of deputy chief of HIS, who has been deputy in war for Mirko Norac in Gospic, together with Sasa Perkovic, who was the deputy. Concernig the current situations: murder of Milan Levar and arrest of "Gospic Group", the nearest circle around President Mesic, together with Ante Karic, President's bestman, influenced that the employment of Miro Laco doesn't take place.

But some people from Norac - Oreskovic circle boasted that Karamarko intervened taht they don't have to respond to call of police and give statement about the case of murder of Milan Levar.

Zvonimir Trusić

Tomislav Karamarko, as the president of UNS, publicly refused the claims of one part of independant journalists, who were the victims of eavesdropping of SZUP, to dismiss Smiljan Reljic, who signatured final issues of eavesdropping.

The connections of Karamarko with persons close to Mirko Norac and Tihomir Oreskovic and Smiljan Reljic, who later testified against Norac and Oreskovic in Rijeka, are unreacheable.

Odd is also Karamarko's pleading for President of HHO, Zarko Puhovski, that he and Zvonimir Trusic , for many years pleader of person and work of Ante Pavelic, who was the initiator of association as the one of Zarko Puhovski, agree about legal status of his associations.

When he had to leave the UNS, due to pressures of Zeljko Bagic, Tomislav Karamarko gave an interview to a journalist of "Slobodna Dalmacija", Josip Jovic, and said that bill of indictment against general Gotovina should have been refused, because it was putting on a trial bench the whole civil war.

Can the controverse, which follow his carier, disable Karamarko to become the chief of all croatian spies?

Zeljko Peratovic