The amount that has been withdrawn from the budget of Zagreb through Remetinec Prison in various ways has risen to eight million kuna, writes Novi list.
Investigators obtained this data during an investigation into the malpractices that have been occurring for years behind the walls of Remetinec. After the departure of Tomislav Kralj, the former director who committed suicide last month, internal oversight identified a shortfall of around 100,000 kuna, which was discovered after the new director Jure Žulj took office. This money, it is suspected, was withdrawn by the head of the finance department of the Zagreb Prison and used for apartment renovations.
Damage was also caused by incorrect payroll calculations for employees who received more than they should have for several months. Following this discovery, a problem arose regarding how judicial police officers and other prison staff would return the overpaid amount.
However, substantial shortfalls also occurred due to malpractices in the procurement of food for prisoners. According to some employees, trucks leaving the prison after delivering food were never allowed to be inspected. For this reason, they justifiably suspect that part of the ordered and paid food was taken ‘somewhere’ and that illegal profits were made from its resale.
At the same time, some prisoners we managed to speak with complained about extremely small portions. As a result, they were forced to buy from prison canteens at exorbitant prices.
Additionally, part of the prison expenses, as we have learned, was not paid regularly, which created further damage, and who is responsible for all this is still being investigated by the DORH.
– We have conducted disciplinary proceedings, and some officials whose disciplinary responsibility has been established have already been punished or removed from their duties. The State Attorney’s Office will decide on everything else that has been determined by the internal oversight, said the spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice, Sergej Abramov.
