The first convicted individual in the ‘Index’ case is 24-year-old student Hrvoje Markota from the Faculty of Economics in Zagreb, who was today conditionally sentenced to six months with a probation period of two years for bribery by the County Court.
The sentence was imposed by investigating judge Vanda Senta, after the student admitted during the investigation that he paid for an exam and reached a plea agreement with USKOK regarding the penalty. This is a type of expedited procedure in which the parties agree on the type and amount of the penalty. Appeals are generally not filed against such judgments, so the process is quickly concluded. The sentence for the student is the first in a series expected in the ‘Index’ case, in which an investigation into bribery is being conducted against 67 individuals – professors from the Faculty of Economics and the Faculty of Transport in Zagreb, assistants, intermediaries, and students. (H)
