Wife of former HDZ leader arrested in major financial crime probe

Ana Karamarko, the wife of former HDZ leader Tomislav Karamarko, is one of dozens of people arrested on Wednesday in a major white-collar crime investigation.

Police and anti-corruption prosecutors are investigating 9 companies and 38 individuals in connection with the case. Officers searched several homes and offices in Zagreb, Split, and Rijeka on Wednesday. The individuals allegedly syphoned 20 million kuna from the companies using invoices for fictitious services. These transactions allegedly defrauded the state of around 11 million kuna.

Ana Karamarko was questioned by investigators who suspect her of illegally taking 400,000 kuna from her own company, Drimia. Her lawyer, Ivo Farčić, told reporters she spoke to investigators for about 40 minutes. She denied all of the charges, Farčić said.

It was because of the dealings of Ana Karamarko’s company and its close ties to a MOL consultant that Tomislav Karmarko was forced to step down as deputy prime minister in 2016. He was subsequently ousted from the HDZ as well.