Arrested head of SMEs agency department excluded from HDZ party

"Based on the proposal of the HDZ Cakovec city branch and in accordance with the Party Statute, the county committee's Court of Honour made a decision to exclude Magdalena Dovecer from HDZ membership," reads the decision by the HDZ branch.

HDZ secretary-general Krunoslav Katicic told the Croatian state news agency Hina that HDZ has zero tolerance to any form of corruption.

He also underscored that each criminal offence has been committed by individuals and there is no collective responsibility.

We can see that the competent institutions are doing their job. That should be commended and we can be satisfied that everyone is doing their job as it should be, he said.

Based on a European Prosecutor's warrant, the police searched the house of Dovecer, a head of a department at the HAMAG-BICRO agency, and the business premises of the owner of a graphic arts business from Nedelisce, Tihomir Pajic.

They were arrested on Wednesday morning for rigging a tender worth HRK 1 million.

According to unofficial sources, Dovecer rigged the tender for the design of promotional material for the merger of municipalities for her relative.

The European Public Prosecutor's Office said in a brief press release it is conducting urgent evidence-collecting activities in cooperation with the Zagreb Police Department, adding that the activities relate to two persons suspected of unlawful favouritism and incitement to unlawful favouritism regarding a public procurement call by HAMAG-BICRO for an EU-funded project.