Uskok announced on Wednesday that it had completed the investigation and filed an indictment before the Zagreb County Court against the former Minister of Health Vili Beroš and seven co-defendants for corruption in the procurement of medical equipment, it says N1.
Corruption in this case allegedly damaged the state budget by more than 740.000 euros, and the former minister is suspected of receiving 75.000 euros in bribes.
The scandal of selling medical equipment at multiple inflated prices also includes, in addition to Beroš, entrepreneur Hrvoje Petrač, who surrendered to Croatian authorities last week after eight months on the run, his sons Novica and Nikola Petrač, entrepreneur Saša Pozder, former head of the Neurology Clinic at the Sestre Milosrdnice Hospital, Krešimir Rotim, director of the Zagreb Children's Hospital, Goran Roić, and Tomo Pavić from the Krapina branch of the Croatian Health Insurance Institute.
Without specifying their identities, USKOK reported that it is charging eight defendants with committing criminal acts of criminal association, giving and receiving bribes, abuse of position and authority, illegal favoritism, trading in influence and money laundering, all as part of a criminal association, as well as receiving bribes and illegal favoritism.
The indictment also includes three legal entities that USKOK charges with bribery, illegal favoritism and money laundering, all as part of a criminal association, and accepting bribes.
After USKOK announced in November last year that it had arrested Beroš, Rotim and Pozder, the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) in Zagreb announced that it had launched an investigation against Beroš and seven other people.
Unlike USKOK, which suspected Beroš of trading in influence, and whose investigation did not mention the then fugitive Hrvoje Petrač or his two sons, who were also on the run but have since surrendered, EPPO suspected Beroš of accepting bribes from the beginning.
Chief State Attorney Ivan Turudić subsequently decided that the entire case was under the jurisdiction of USKOK, to which the EPPO handed over the file, and the European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kovesi reported Turudić to the European Commission. The Municipal Criminal State Attorney's Office in Zagreb then reported that it was investigating the leak of data from the EPPO investigation, which was subsequently merged with the investigation by the Croatian prosecutor's office.
Source: N1
Photo: HINA/ Damir SENČAR
