State Attorney-General Ivan Turudic said on Thursday that the anti-corruption office USKOK was not obliged to inform the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) about its investigation into the medical device bid rigging case involving former Health Minister Vili Beros.

Turudic assured the public that the proceedings conducted by the USKOK and the EPPO in this case would be carefully combined.

Turudic’s statement came after he decided on Tuesday that the investigation against Beros and other suspects in the case falls under the jurisdiction of the USKOK.

The EPPO announced on Thursday morning that it had handed over the case to the anti-corruption agency USKOK and that the European Public Prosecutor’s Office had written to the European Commission about the case.

“The EPPO’s allegations are false”

In the letter to the Commission, prosecutor Laura Kövesi stated, among other things, that Croatian State Attorney-General Turudic had “further aggravated” the situation.

Turudic believes that the EPPO’s accusations are false. “They say they regret that we did not ask them for additional information. We would have requested it if it had been necessary,” he said.

In response to the EPPO’s comment that it regrets that the decision on jurisdiction falls within the scope of the State Attorney-General, Turudic replied that he had acted in accordance with the applicable law.

Turudic rejected Kövesi’s claim that he had undermined the impartiality of conflict resolution by basing his decision solely on USKOK’s interpretation of the case.

“The State Attorney-General, tasked with resolving conflicts of competence, further aggravated these circumstances by basing his decision solely on USKOK’s interpretation, without giving the EPPO the chance to express its position, and thus undermining the impartiality of the conflict resolution,” she wrote to the EC.

The fact that Tamara Laptos asked for police protection is “her business”

Turudic gave further arguments in favour of not handing over the file to the EPPO and authorising the USKOK to continue with the investigation: “Obviously (in this case) the European Union’s funds have not been put at risk.”

Regarding the request of investigator Tamara Laptos, who heads the EPPO office in Zagreb, for police protection following the opening of the investigation against ex-minister Vili Beros, neurosurgeon Kresimir Rotim and businessman Hrvoje Petrac and his two sons Novica and Nikola, Turudic said: “This is her business,” and declined to comment on possible links between their request and the ongoing investigation. He merely added that the issue should be referred to Laptos.

He also told the press conference that he and Laptos had a scheduled meeting a fortnight ago, which she cancelled.

Turudic said that he had not received any threats.

During the press conference, he called for adherence to the presumption of innocence and said that USKOK would thoroughly investigate the case. He said that the ongoing investigation will take some time and that an indictment will be filed if evidence is found.