Novica Petrac, one of the suspects in a European Public Prosecutor's Office investigation into the detention of former health minister Vili Beros, surrendered to Croatian authorities on Monday evening and was taken into pre-trial detention as set on Saturday.

His lawyer, Fran Olujic, had previously told Croatian news agency Hina that Petrac would appear in Croatia by the end of Monday at the latest and hand himself in to the prosecuting authorities.

After the anti-corruption agency USKOK announced on Friday that it had arrested Beros, the head of the Zagreb Neurology Clinic at the Hospital of the Sisters of Mercy and a board member of a Zagreb polyclinic, Kresimir Rotim, and businessman Sasa Pozder on suspicion of corruption, the EPPO said it had opened an investigation against Beros and seven other people.

Pre-trial detention was ordered for all suspects

According to media reports, the suspects also include the fugitive businessman Hrvoje Petrac and his two sons Novica and Nikola. Their lawyers claim that they are not on the run, often work abroad and were not informed about the arrests.

On Saturday, an investigating judge at the Zagreb County Court ordered the arrest of five suspects at the request of the EPPO as part of the investigation into the procurement of overpriced medical equipment. The court’s spokesman, Kresimir Devcic, told Hina that pre-trial detention had also been ordered for the three Petracs at the request of the EPPO.

From this group, only Tomo Pavic, from the regional office of the Croatian Health Insurance Fund in Krapina, and Goran Roic, the director of the children’s hospital in Zagreb, were then taken into custody. All suspects were remanded in custody to prevent them from testifying and repeating the offences. The three Petracs were also declared to be a flight risk. Hrvoje and Nikola Petrac are still outside Croatia and a European arrest warrant has been issued for them.

State Attorney-General to decide whether USKOK or EPPO has jurisdiction

Following the arrests on Friday, the State Attorney’s Office (DORH) asked the EPPO to submit a report and the complete file on Beros, while the EPPO asked the DORH to hand over its file. State Attorney-General Ivan Turudic announced that he would soon decide whether the case falls under the jurisdiction of the USKOK or the EPPO.

In contrast to the USKOK, whose investigations do not mention the three Petracs, the EPPO accuses Beros of having accepted bribes. At a press conference, Turudic said that the former minister is suspected of influence peddling, while the bribes were allegedly accepted by “another person”

The EPPO said it suspects that Beros authorised the procurement of surgical microscopes at inflated prices in exchange for bribes and secured funding for public contracts.

The USKOK, which on Saturday requested detention for Beros and Pozder while Rotim was released from custody, claims the trio colluded to sell medical equipment from an Austrian manufacturer to state hospitals.

USKOK suspects that Pozder’s company profited by almost half a million euros, while the EPPO claims that the price of the surgical microscopes purchased to the detriment of the state budget was inflated by almost 620,000 euros.