Polančec received USKOK’s order

Former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Damir Polančec has been served with a USKOK order confirming that an investigation is being conducted against him. This was confirmed by his lawyer Ante Nobilo, as reported by HRT.

“I have not yet seen the investigative order, so I cannot say what exactly Polančec is being accused of,” Nobilo said. He added that he would submit a power of attorney for representing Polančec to USKOK on Monday and request access to the entire case file.

On Thursday, USKOK announced on its website, without disclosing the identity of the suspect, that it had issued an order to conduct an investigation against a 43-year-old Croatian citizen due to reasonable suspicion of committing the criminal offense of illegal mediation.

USKOK emphasized on Friday, as HRT recalls, that everything was done in accordance with the new Criminal Procedure Act and that the notice of investigation was sent to Polančec on the same day the investigation was initiated. Lawyer Nobilo then stated that he and his client feel like observers of something happening outside of their control, and they cannot influence it. He added that this is an example of the poor practice of the new Criminal Procedure Act, as the defense is not equal to USKOK.

Večernji list reminds that USKOK suspects Polančec of illegal mediation, which was allegedly confirmed by witness Zvonko Beljo, owner of the Križevci company Gradec d.o.o., who told investigators that Polančec mediated between Podravka and his company. After resigning from the position of Deputy Prime Minister, Polančec negotiated how Beljo could exit that deal and reimburse himself for the amount forwarded via SMS, but Gradec remained a debtor in Podravka’s books.

On Thursday, after it was announced on USKOK’s website that an investigation is being conducted against a Croatian citizen born in 1967, Polančec stated that he had not received confirmation from either USKOK or the State Attorney’s Office that it was about him and accused USKOK of providing information to “privileged journalists” before informing those concerned. He has engaged Ante Nobilo as his lawyer, who will be able to access the case file tomorrow, but will not be allowed to speak publicly about it.

– “It is hard to say that this is a criminal offense of illegal mediation because the social position of the perpetrator is important, and Polančec had already left the government at that time. Moreover, the act had already been committed. The question is how much evidence the State Attorney’s Office has against Polančec. Because a verdict cannot be based solely on the testimony of a repentant witness, which the law explicitly prescribes,” said the lawyer of the former Deputy Prime Minister, Ante Nobilo.

There have been speculations that Polančec’s conversations were recorded, but there is no reliable information on that. Večernji list also learns that Polančec’s wife fell ill on Friday, likely due to recent events, so Polančec decided to spend the weekend with his family.  (HRT, Večernji list)