Culture Minister Nina Obuljen-Korzinek declined to comment on Thursday on the arrest of her former assistant Davor Trupkovic on suspicion of corruption. However, she explained that she can point to the measures taken by the ministry, which uncovered and prevented an attempted fraud and failed to pay out 3.2 million euros.

“I think this statement clearly shows – the ministry and I as its head noticed and prevented a fraud attempt,” Obuljen-Korzinek said at a press conference in response to a question about her position after the European Public Prosecutor’s Office arrested her former assistant as part of a corruption investigation at the Faculty of Geodesy in Zagreb. Trupkovic is currently Chief Conservator at the Directorate for the Protection of Cultural Heritage.

She added that she would not comment on Trupkovic’s arrest and the allegations against him, as she did not have this information.

“What I can comment on are the actions of the ministry. All control mechanisms within the ministry have worked, and this was confirmed today by the EPPO, considering that damages and the payment of 3.2 million euros were prevented,” she said.

She explained that they paid a total of 19 million kuna for this project, including VAT, while they were charged a total of 39 million kuna in expenses.