The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) has asked the Croatian parliament to strip MP Vinko Grgic of immunity over suspicion of taking bribes, embezzling European funds, and abuse of office - which is the first time the EU is asking for stripping a member of Croatian Parliament of immunity.

Grgic is a former member of the Social Democrats (SDP) and is now an independent MP and the mayor of Nova Gradiska. He had spent three months in investigative detention on suspicion of taking bribes in the JANAF scandal. He is suspected of receiving bribes so that the prime suspect, Kreso Petek, could land the job of constructing a recycling facility in Nova Gradiska worth 5.4 million kuna (€720k), of which 4.2 million (€560k) were EU funds.

Grgic told state agency Hina that he had no information about this request to strip him of immunity. “I can only say that the accusations don’t stand.”

He added that he was already stripped of immunity after the first accusations and that no new case was opened. “If stripping of immunity is being requested because of the separation of the proceedings, I will probably be stripped of immunity under the same article.”

The EPPO bases its request on the law on the Council Regulation (EU) of October 2017 implementing enhanced cooperation on the establishment of the EPPO, which the Croatian parliament adopted in December 2020.

(€1 = 7.49 kuna)