Zagreb County Court makes two decisions in high profile corruption cases

Proceedings in two major corruption cases that of the former HDZ health minister as well as of the former Chief State Inspector, continued at the Zagreb County Court on Tuesday. Along with the former minister, the chief suspect in the other case was also appointed by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.

On Tuesday the Zagreb County Court extended investigative custody for former chief state inspector Andrija Mikulić and his close friend Dragan Krašić. They were arrested in late November on suspicion of receiving bribes from the owners of two quarries, both of whom have already admitted to bribing the two suspects. The Deputy Director of the Office for the Suppression of Corruption and Organized Crime (USKOK), Vedran Libl, explained the content of the court’s decision: "The court has accepted USKOK's motion to prolong investigative custody for both suspects by a period of one month, over concerns of witness tampering. There are still nine witnesses that need to be questioned for whom we believe there exists a danger of collusion with the suspects."

Meanwhile, the Zagreb County Court has also rejected a defense motion for the exclusion of evidence in the corruption case against former HDZ Health Minister Vili Beroš, the former director of the Zagreb's Children's Hospital Dr. Goran Roić, and two other doctors. They are suspected of giving and receiving bribes during the acquisition of robotic microscopes for hospitals. The acting Deputy Director of the Office for the Suppression of Corruption and Organized Crime (USKOK), Krešimir Ostrogonac, noted that the evidence in question is a transcript of SMS messages and telephone conversations: "As I said yesterday, in question are the results of the searches that were conducted in this case. The court has rejected that motion, and what follows now is a written decision, a deadline for an appeal, insomuch as an appeal is filed by the defense, after which it would be ruled on by the High Criminal Court."

Source: HRT