Novica and Nikola Petrac are to be questioned by the Office for the Suppression of Corruption and Organised Crime (USKOK) on suspicion of manipulating tenders for expensive hospital equipment.

Both surrendered to the police after the EPPO launched an investigation against them.

The case, which was initially handled by the EPPO, has since been handed over to the USKOK by the State Attorney-General. The investigation also concerns their father, Hrvoje Petrac.

Inflated bids, channeling money and tenders manipulaton

He is suspected of having led the group, to which the former minister Vili Beros is also said to have belonged. According to the investigators, Novica was involved in the preparation of inflated bids for the controversial tenders.

Nikola, on the other hand, is accused of using his company to channel money that he earned illegally through the sale of robotic equipment through rigged tenders. Investigators found a WhatsApp group on Nikola Petrac’s phone that contained messages between him and Sasa Pozder, whose company sold the equipment.

The messages reveal discussions about how to manipulate tenders and mention “Mali” (“The Little One”), allegedly a code name for Beros. The investigators claim that Beros was tasked with ensuring that the inflated prices for the robotic devices were paid.