The Ministry of the Interior reported in a statement that due to the extensive nature of the searches in the Agrokor operation, they will most likely continue into tomorrow.
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The statement is as follows:
“Police officers of PNUSKOK, the Criminal Police Directorate, and the Police Directorate, in coordination with the County State Attorney’s Office and in cooperation with the Independent Sector for Financial Investigations, are conducting a criminal investigation against fifteen Croatian citizens for crimes of abuse of trust in economic business, forgery of official documents, and violation of the obligation to maintain commercial and business records.
Police officers of PNUSKOK, the Criminal Police Directorate, and the Police Directorate, in coordination with the County State Attorney’s Office and in cooperation with the Independent Sector for Financial Investigations, are conducting a criminal investigation against fifteen Croatian citizens for crimes of abuse of trust in economic business, forgery of official documents, and violation of the obligation to maintain commercial and business records.
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Based on the order of the County Court in Zagreb, evidence-gathering actions are underway, including searches of homes and other premises at 24 locations, searches of business premises at 3 locations, searches of 17 movable items, and 12 searches of individuals.
Given the extent, the searches will most likely continue into tomorrow.
During the criminal investigation conducted so far, a total of 12 individuals have been arrested, against whom a criminal complaint is planned to be submitted to the County State Attorney’s Office in Zagreb due to reasonable suspicion of committing the aforementioned crimes. The arrested individuals will be brought to the detention supervisor, and three individuals are unavailable,” states the Ministry of the Interior’s announcement.
All arrested except Todorić
In investigations related to alleged irregularities in Agrokor, 12 individuals were arrested on Monday, specifically all suspects except the founder of the troubled conglomerate Ivica Todorić and his sons Ante and Ivan, who are not in Croatia, reports Hina.
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Along with Todorić and his sons, the suspects include Alojzije Pandžić, Damir Kuštrak, Hrvoje Balent, Ivica Crnjac, Olivio Discordia, Marijan Alagušić, Sanja Hrstić, Mislav Galić, Tomislav Lučić, Piruška Canjuga, Ljerka Puljić, and Ivica Sertić. All were members of the management or supervisory board at Agrokor, while Discordia and Hrstić are employees of the auditing firm Baker Tilly, which prepared audit reports for Agrokor.
Interrogations at the prosecutor’s office most likely on Tuesday morning
Lawyers for the arrested confirmed to reporters that their clients will spend the night in police custody and that they will most likely be taken for questioning at the prosecutor’s office on Selska Street on Tuesday morning, rather than tonight as expected.
Ljubo Pavasović Visković, the lawyer for Ivica Crnjac, who was the first to be arrested on Monday morning, stated that the questioning at the prosecutor’s office will almost certainly take place on Tuesday morning, explaining that “everything is within the legally prescribed deadlines.”
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The law provides a deadline of 24 hours from the arrest in which the suspect must be brought before the detention supervisor, and then a 16-hour period begins in which they must be questioned at the prosecutor’s office.
He also stated that, given the scope of the case, his client will most likely remain silent, as it would be irresponsible to present a defense before reviewing the extensive documentation.
