Former Health Minister Vili Beroš remanded to one month’s investigative custody

On Friday Health Minister Vili Beroš, a member of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković’s HDZ, was arrested along with several other people over suspicion of malfeasance. This is yet another in a long line of corruption scandals that have rocked the Plenković administration, which resulted in the prime minister sacking Beroš immediately.

Former Minister of Health Vili Beroš and businessman Saša Pozder have been sentenced to one-month in pretrial detention. Both were arrested yesterday as part of a major sting operation by the USKOK anti-corruption agency and the European Public Prosecutor's Office. They are suspected of malfeasance in the acquisition of medical equipment. The deputy director of the USKOK anti-corruption agency, Krešimir Ostrogonac: "Yesterday the competent prosecutor, namely USKOK, issued a decision on conducting an investigation against three natural persons and two legal persons. As you know this pertains to the first defendant, Vili Beroš, and two other natural persons. USKOK today file a motion with the investigating judge to remand the first defendant and one other person to custody. With regard to both defendants custody was requested due to the danger of witness tampering, while for the second defendant there is also a flight risk. The investigating judge accepted the motion in full, and set investigative custody for a period of one month."

Beroš and Pozder's lawyers have announced plans to file an appeal against the investigative detention. Beroš's lawyer Laura Valković: "As our client's legal representatives, we presented arguments as to why investigative custody was not required, a position we still maintain. As you yourselves here today prove, this case is truly in the media's focus. Our laws on investigative custody prescribe much more lenient measures, such as house arrest, and other measures such as a ban on contacting witnesses. The witnesses are all people in the public eye, so it is illogical that under these circumstances the defendants would try to establish any kind of contact with them. Unfortunately, the court had a different opinion, and we will file an appeal on that decision."

"With regard to my client, he was remanded to one month's investigative custody for potential witness tampering, but also for flight risk, which USKOK and the judge base on the fact that his family does not live in Croatia. In my opinion this thesis is completely wrong, and we will file an appeal in that regard. We have already filed a motion to post bail of one hundred thousand euros instead of investigative custody, which for the time being has not been accepted," added Pozder's lawyer Fran Oluić.

A third suspect, the head of the Zagreb Neurology Clinic at the Sisters of Mercy Clinical Hospital Center, Krešimir Rotim, was not remanded to custody. Here's what his lawyer, Ljubo Pavasović Visković, had to say about the proceedings: "Even before the questioning, I announced last night that he will present his defense in detail, that he will reject the accusations, and that he will explain all of the circumstances that deal with him. And he did that, which obviously had an impact on USKOK, which determined that precautionary measures would suffice. That's all I can say right now, with the exception of one fact which personally bothers me. He did not admit to the act in question. Admitting guilt means that a person tells the investigators that they are guilty of this or that. He did not do that."

Reactions to the Beroš arrest continue to pour in, with serious concerns raised as to who has jurisdiction over the case. Opposition politicians claim that the Croatian State Prosecutor's Office wants to establish its jurisdiction in order to ensure that the investigation does not spread further. Independent MP Marija Selak Raspudić: "Right now we don't know if the Croatian State Prosecutor's Office started this procedure in order to actually take something from the European Public Prosecutor's Office, or if it is a mere coincidence that they are both working on the same case? These difficult to resolve jurisdictional issues seem to be common-place. I hope that is not the case here. But the question must asked; did the State Prosecutor's Office DORH step in to ensure that this is not investigated in further detail, so that we don't discover just how deep this corruption has penetrated."

"What is happening is that HDZ's good little boy, Turudić, suddenly wants to take over the investigation from the European investigators. Because who knows what else would emerge? In question is a cell phone. Who will look at the messages on that cell phone, Turudić or the European investigator? Anything could happen here. And that's why I'm fed up with Plenković, his minions, apparitions and freaks. I'm fed up with this way of governing Croatia," said SDP Party President Siniša Hajdaš Dončić.

Meanwhile, Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlić Radman commented on the arrest of his former cabinet and party colleague on Saturday: "If this turns out to be true, it is shockingly shameful. It comes off as though the Government has been to spread this corruption in a direction unknown to us. This should now be further investigated by all competent bodies."

For his part Deputy Prime Minister and Veteran's Affairs Minister Tomo Medved said that government supports the investigation in full: "Absolute condemnation and full support for the institutions dealing with prosecution. When we talk about crime, it does not have a party color, nor can we treat it as such, it is of an individual nature, every crime has its own name and surname."

Source: HRT