The headquarters of the energy company Prvo Plinarsko Drustvo (PPD) in Vukovar was searched by the police on Thursday on the basis of a search warrant issued by the Office for Combating Corruption and Organised Crime (USKOK).

According to unofficial reports, the search was initiated in connection with a former director of the oil and gas company INA, Damir Skugor, who is involved in the “gas for a cent” scandal.

Skugor, a former INA manager, his father Dane, the former president of the Croatian Bar Association Josip Surjak, his business partner Goran Husic and the former director of the company Plinara Istocne Slavonije, Marija Ratkic, are suspected of defrauding INA of more than HRK 1 billion (€133.3 million) by buying gas from INA for €19.5 and then reselling it for up to €210 per megawatt hour.

The law enforcement and prosecution authorities have not issued a statement on today’s search.

The representatives of the PPD company stated that they will co-operate with the relevant institutions and provide all necessary documents.

It is in the company’s interest to dispel all doubts and insinuations that have repeatedly surfaced in the public domain in recent months, they added.

According to unofficial reports, the search was carried out to gather the necessary evidence and no arrests were planned.

Prvo Plinarsko Drustvo is a private Croatian company based in Vukovar, which is active in the trade, import, sale and supply of natural gas.