10 convicted in Croatian €2.8m EU corruption case as EPPO targets wider network

10 July 2026 , 08:56

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The County Court in Zagreb (Croatia) has rendered a first verdict today against ten individuals, following an indictment by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Zagreb over corruption and misuse of EU funds involving the Ministry of Culture and the Faculty of Geodesy.

As previously reported, this case concerns an alleged coordinated corruption scheme involving a former deputy minister of Culture and Media, a former dean of the Faculty of Geodesy and a former professor, amongst others, as well as representatives of private companies. The former dean and the ex-professor are accused of manipulating 27 public procurement procedures linked to four EU-funded projects worth nearly €6 million by steering contracts to favoured companies in exchange for kickbacks, using false or inflated bids, and misusing project funds for personal benefit. The former deputy minister is accused of arranging for earthquake damage documentation work to be entrusted to the Faculty despite knowing it lacked the capacity to perform the work, enabling contracts to be awarded to a company controlled by the former dean and the ex-professor, while certifying false or inflated reports.

The alleged conduct caused damage estimated at €2.8 million, including €1.2 million to the EU budget, €1.4 million to the Croatian state budget, and €200,000 to the Faculty of Geodesy.

First convictions in vast fraudulent scheme

These first convictions stem from the indictment brought in December 2025 by the EPPO against 29 Croatian individuals and one company. The verdict is the result of a plea bargain, as ten defendants pleaded guilty to all charges. Seven defendants represented favoured companies that, through a prior arrangement with the former dean and professor, won procurement contracts and then paid back part of the contract funds as kickbacks. Three other defendants represented companies that submitted invalid or inflated bids to ensure the favoured companies were awarded the contracts.

The ten defendants pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting abuse of office, aiding and abetting money laundering, abuse of public procurement procedures, and forgery of official or commercial documents.

Three defendants were sentenced to prison terms ranging from five to 11 months, which were converted into community service. In addition, two of the defendants were ordered to pay accessory fines of €20 000 and €70 000.

The remaining seven defendants received suspended prison sentences. Five of them were also ordered to pay fines of up to €20 000.

The proceedings against the remaining 19 defendants – including the former deputy minister, the former dean and the ex-professor – are ongoing.

All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in the competent Croatian courts of law.

The EPPO is the independent public prosecution office of the European Union. It is responsible for investigating, prosecuting and bringing to judgment crimes against the financial interests of the EU.