Mario Mamic, the son of former Dinamo Zagreb boss Zdravko Mamic, was sentenced to one year and four months in prison on Thursday for embezzling money from Dinamo football club as part of a criminal organisation.

Businessman Sandro Stipancic received an 11-month prison sentence to be served in the form of community service.

Following the hearing, which was held in camera, the Osijek County Court announced that Mario Mamic had been sentenced to a fine of €750,000 for the offences committed. He must also pay FC Dinamo €2.08 million in damages and cover legal costs totalling €70,000.

Embezzlement of €25.8 million

The accused Stipancic must not only perform community service, but also repay over €113,000 to Dinamo and pay €20,000 in court costs.

As part of an agreement with Dinamo, Mario Mamic and Sandro Stipancic must repay the sums they are alleged to have embezzled from the club within two and a half months.

At the hearing on 16 December, at which Mario Mamic and Sandro Stipancic admitted their guilt, the lawyers of Zdravko Mamic and his brother Zoran Mamic, who are being tried in absentia, stated that their clients had not admitted to the crimes charged in the amended indictment. Former Dinamo director Damir Vrbanovic said the same.

In the amended indictment, Zdravko Mamic and the other defendants are accused of embezzling 25.8 million euros from Dinamo, while the club was wrongfully obliged to pay another 1 million euros.

The next hearing is scheduled for 21 January

The other defendants in the case are businessman Igor Korta and football manager Nikky Arthur Vuksan.

At the end of October 2023, Vuksan pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year in prison with five years’ probation on the basis of a plea bargain. In November of the same year, Krota followed suit and pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to nine months in prison, which was replaced by community service.

Since Zdravko and Zoran Mamic fled to Bosnia and Herzegovina and are being tried in absentia, and four of the defendants have admitted their guilt and were sentenced on the basis of agreements with the USKOK anti-corruption office, only former Dinamo director Damir Vrbanovic will be present at the next hearing on 21 January 2025.