A Zagreb County Court indictment panel has upheld an indictment against businessman Kreso Petek, Nova Gradiska Mayor Vinko Grgic and former Velika Gorica Mayor Drazen Barisic charged by the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) with embezzlement of EU funds.

Of a total of about a dozen indictees in the case, five have pleaded guilty so far and have been convicted after plea-bargaining with the Croatian USKOK anti-corruption office. They have been given conditional sentences, community service and orders to pay fines.

Grgic, Barisic, Petek and two other suspects have decided not to plead guilty. According to unofficial sources, Grgic denies any wrongdoing, while Barisic has admitted to most of the charges but did not plea-bargain before the indictment was upheld.

The indictment accuses Grgic, a former SDP official, who was re-elected mayor of Nova Gradiska in 2020 after his arrest, that he arranged and received €15,000 in bribes on two occasions from Petek in exchange for awarding two construction projects to companies connected with that businessman.

The EPPO also accused Petek of having agreed with Barisic, who used to be the HDZ mayor of Velika Gorica at the time, to make sure that a project to build a wastewater treatment plant and control system and a project to upgrade the public lighting system in Velika Gorica would be awarded to his companies.

Petek was also accused of bribery in the so-called Janaf scandal together with the former director of that public company, Dragan Kovacevic.

Grgic’s attorney Fran Olujic said today that he did not expect the trial in the case to start before autumn.