International arrest warrant issued for former ski official Pavlek

Justice Minister Damir Habijan confirmed on Wednesday that an international arrest warrant has been issued for Vedran Pavlek, the former director of the Croatian Ski Association.

Pavlek has been on the run since becoming the prime suspect earlier this year in the alleged embezzlement of more than €30 million from the federation. Habijan said Croatia is working to secure his extradition, but did not disclose which country Pavlek is believed to be in.

“As he is not in an EU member state, the situation is somewhat different. Nevertheless, we expect the country in question - like any other with which we have treaties and established relations - to act on the warrant by arresting him and transferring him to Croatia. Any individual arrested on the basis of an international warrant has the right to challenge extradition through legal means, which will ultimately determine the duration of the process,” Habijan said.

Attorney General Ivan Turudić said on Tuesday that authorities know Pavlek’s exact whereabouts and that procedures to arrest and extradite him are underway. However, he also declined to reveal the country, citing confidentiality.

According to unofficial information, Pavlek was in Turkey and later in Kazakhstan at the time his co-defendants were arrested, questioned, and detained on suspicion of embezzling €30 million from the Croatian Ski Association.