With his testimony in The Hague, Ivić Pašalić, former presidential advisor for national security, is again trying to question the authenticity of the transcripts of conversations recorded in Tudjman’s office on Pantovčak. Furthermore, many of those individuals whose words were recorded within these transcripts today claim that they were taped without their knowledge and consent, and that their words were incorrectly transcribed, and thus the transcripts falsified.

Ivić Pašalić was the first to receive all of Tudjman’s transcripts on his desk and use them to his political benefit. His claims before the Hague Tribunal that the transcripts are not authentic are thus absurd: employees in the Presidential Office responsible for recording and transcribing conversations work there even today and can testify to how the transcripts came to beVirtually the same days that President Franjo Tudjman and his staff moved from Mark’s Square, their first headquarters, to Tito’s former villa on Pantovčak, the whole complex was wired with recording devices and video monitoring. Not only was the villa wired, but the accompanying facilities were as well, including the office of the Chef du Cabinet, Hrvoje Šarinić, which at first had been intended as residential quarters. All the conversations were recorded and everyone knew it, since there were at least 40 in plain sight, just as there are today, though there are now much fewer.

It is Ivić Pašalić who best knows this. All of the transcripts which were located in the presidential office, at least while he was working there, ended up on his desk. After the typists listened to the tapes and transcribed what they heard, Tudjman would review the transcripts and, if there was something of interest, they would then be forwarded to Goran Radin, presidential advisor and Sanja Ormož, Pašalić’s secretary who would give them to Pašalić. Furthermore, Nacional has received confirmation from one former employee who worked in the presidential office prior to 2000, that Pašalić also received all of the transcripts of conversations by Hrvoje Šarinić in his office.

Thanks to this, Pašalić did not have to rely on assumptions as to what others were planning – he knew very well, and in many cases was able to prevent their plans or to jump the gun, especially if there was something that could have caused him harm.

Authenticity of the Transcripts

There are several witnesses who can testify that Pašalić knew exactly what was in the transcripts as soon as they were made. One of those individuals could be Sanja Ormož herself, who is now employed in the parliament as Zdravko Tomac’s secretary. However, she has not publicly made any comments regarding the transcripts and how they were used. The only thing that remains unclear is just where Pašalić and his party and private friends found up the courage to claim that not a single transcript released to the public, and handed over the justice institution, including the ICTY, is authentic.

It is incorrect that Franjo Tudjman did not record his own conversations, just as it is incorrect that those recorded on the tapes had no idea. The recording equipment, both audio and video, even today is still present in virtually all of the rooms in the Presidential House. With Stipe Mesić’s election as Head of State and his arrival to the Zagorje Villa, only a portion of the equipment has been removed. The situation today is similar to the situation abroad, the conversations in the presidential offices are recorded, as they are in governments and parliaments.

The president’s office contains several devices for video and audio recording. The whole room is covered by two video cameras in the corners opposite the large sliding doors, so that they also record all events on the large terrace outside. The meeting table is equipped with two microphones, placed directly on the table and visible to all participants in the conversation. That is the same setup as Franjo Tudjman had in his office – the microphones were visible to everyone, and thus the explanations that they had no idea they were being recorded and therefore the transcripts do not hold up in court are ridiculous. (In the recent investigation into the role of Ivan Jarnjak in the privatization of Slobodna Dalmacija, the judge excluded the transcripts as evidence at the request of the defense team, even though they clearly outlined that Jarnjak had blocked legal proceedings against Miroslav Kutle for his illegal acquisition of the Split daily paper).

Microphone on every table

Opposite the meeting table in the president’s office is a sofa, four armchairs and a coffee table. On each side of the sofa are small tables, and on each table is a microphone, again, in clear sight, as is on the coffee table. Considering that the presidential office is comprised of two sections, not only the meeting section is equipped with monitoring equipment, the president’s personal desk is also wired. There are even microphones behind the heavy drapes separating the two sections of the room. In fact, there is not a single part of the room not covered by monitoring equipment. Every conversation, even the quietest one, is possible to capture.

So many microphones in only one room led the current president and his advisors to suspect the existence of hidden microphones as well. Thus, after taking office, Mesić instructed a team to carefully go over every inch of every room in the building in order to uncover any possible devices for hidden and unauthorized recording.

Tudjman was obviously so obsessed with his historical role and the greatness of his opinion that, in addition to even the most irrelevant discussions in the working room, he even recorded his own telephone conversations. Next to the phone on his working desk, President Tudjman had a device for recording telephone conversations, which is no longer in use. The command panel with the button to begin recording is no longer on the president’s desk; instead, it sits on his secretary’s desk. At the moment the button is pressed, the tape recorder in the room instantly turns on, recording the whole conversation, until a second button is pressed to end the recording. Tudjman himself gave the signal to record.

VONS under surveillance

The large, southern room is also under video monitoring, however, the sitting area is not equipped with microphones. The north room, intended for meetings (where VONS would frequently meet at one point in time), is equipped with two cameras, instead of the four there before, and some ten microphones sit on the conference table. Even when there were large floral bouquets on the table, the microphones had such long cables, and they were also visible, since they sat directly in front of the participants.

The library next to the south room is also monitored, audio and video. In addition to the cameras in the left corner about the fireplace, there are microphones in both sitting areas which record the conversations. Earlier, small and intimate presidential meetings were held in the library and thus, rarely were those images shown on the screens, except for on those rare occasions when the president gave a statement or addressed the nation on television. The great salon is also under video monitoring, however, the conversations there were not recorded.

Tudjman’s “espionage”

There is yet another story which can bear witness to just how obsessed Tudjman was with monitoring and recording: his working cabinet, under audio and video surveillance, was connected not only to the central, technical room, but also to a small, auxiliary office containing monitors and headphones, and one could sit there and watch and listen to the events going on in the presidential office. On many occasions, Tudjman’s guests would be led into his office and left there to wait, while he would sit in the adjacent room and eagerly watch their reactions and conversations while they waited, not knowing he was watching and listening, and preparing to meet with him.

All the cameras and microphones in the presidential office were hooked up to the central system, in the surveillance room. On a multitude of videotapes are recorded the meetings of President Mesić and his aids with numerous delegations who come to the office, just as formerly the rare protocol meetings between President Tudjman and foreign delegations were recorded. Today, only important discussions are recorded on audiotape. In the neighbouring room, the typists transcribe from these tapes. These same four people, three women and a man, who worked during the Tudjman years are still employed at the presidential office today, and they are still doing the same job. Their identity continues to be held in secrecy, and it is certain that their testimonies could convincingly confirm the authenticity of the transcripts from the Tudjman years.

All of the recording equipment was obtained from the same manufacturer, Sennheiser from Germany, through the distributor for Croatia, the Austrian company Grothusan GmbH from Vienna. Sennheiser’s microphones are considered to be the best, and numerous television houses (including HTV) equip their studios with those microphones. Sennheiser produces small microphones which have exceptional performance. Their insensitivity to background noise (such as shuffling of clothing) gives them the advantage in recording conversations between more than 2 people. Their small microphones are the most commonly used on the jackets of TV hosts and guests, while the larger and more powerful microphones which sit on studio table’s are the same kind used in the presidential office.

The sound quality seen on the small screens shows just how good the sound recording equipment in the presidential office is. For example, Sennheiser microphones are also used for live singing, and the best musicians, such as Celine Dion, Madonna, Elton John and Sting are among the many who use their audio equipment. Many conference centers also opt for their sound equipment. Because of the exceptional quality of Sennheisen’s equipment, it has become the favorite brand for flight controllers, it was used in the most recent Eurosong in Tallinn and during the filming of ‘Lord of the Rings’.

Crime described

More than 14,000 transcripts stemming from the Tudjman era today are held under lock, key and wax seal. Only a handful of people know what they contain within them. Those people whose words are recorded within are the same ones who have the most to fear – from only the few transcripts that were revealed, massive amounts of crime were uncovered, crime that the President’s Office knew about, and that Tudjman allowed, or even generated himself. In a normal time, all those who claim that the transcripts are falsified would long ago have been taken to court. Just the indication that they participated in something illegal such as ethnic cleansing, privatization crimes, covering up murders and the division of BiH, would be more than enough to end their political careers. Ironically, those people today claim their time is still to come.

Jarnjak and Vukojević seek bans on transcripts

Due to the alleged illegalities during recording of conversations in the Presidential Office, several former high ranking HDZ officials have asked for a ban on the available transcripts. When the public learned that Milan Kovač and Vice Vukojević could be facing trial in the Hague for Croatia’s policies towards BiH, these two men tried to convince the public that the released transcripts were not authentic, and that they had no recollection or knowledge that they were being recorded, and thus, the transcripts illegally came to be. Miroslav Šeparović, attorney for Ivan Jarnjak, has succeeded at least for the interim, to have the transcripts removed from the official evidence against his client in the case of the privatization of Slobodna Dalmacija due to their alleged illegality. When he realized that seeking a ban on their release would accomplish nothing, Ivić Pašalić reached for a new tactic of accusations, claiming that Mesić’s aids had falsified the transcripts.

Miroslav Šeparović succeeds in temporarily removing transcripts from evidence

M. Tudjman has not contested authenticity
Portion of transcripts with HDZ and Tudjman family

A portion of the transcripts ended up in HDZ hands, and Vladimir Šeks has commented on several occasions that HDZ will go them to no one, because they deal only with the party. Miroslav Tudjman felt that the release and publication of the transcripts was a criminal act in and of itself, and that Mesić should be held accountable because the transcripts are full of state secrets. However, neither Tudjman Jr. nor Šeks have ever questioned their authenticity. The Tudjman family – Ankica, Nevenka, Miroslav and Stjepan – sued the state and sought for all the transcripts to be proclaimed the private property of Franjo Tudjman and thus handed over to them, for them to do with that property as they please. For example, the refuse to return the portion of transcripts which they ‘re-located’ from the presidential office to their home on Nazarova Street, even though the ICTY is also interested in their contents. The letter of the law would not be on their side, if only someone would launch a lawsuit against them (instead of allowing them to sue the state). Hrvoje Šarinić, Vesna Škare-Ožbolt, Neven Madey and Goran Radin, in spite of the many years in the Presidential Office, never raised a fuss over the release of the transcripts, because nothing compromising – at least to date – has been found on them. Furthermore, they have all confirmed that the recording was regular, that everyone knew about it and that the participants in each meeting were informed that the recording was taking place.