The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) has initiated an investigation against 29 Croatian citizens, detained today at the EPPO’s request, and one company, for suspected subsidy and procurement fraud at the Faculty of Geodesy of the University of Zagreb (Croatia).
Two of the detained suspects are the Dean of the Faculty of Geodesy and a professor at the same faculty, on suspicion of abuse of office and authority, misuse of public procurement procedures, forgery of official documents and money laundering.
The arrests follow investigative activities conducted in cooperation with the Independent Financial Investigation Sector of the Tax Administration of Croatia’s Ministry of Finance and Croatia’s National Police Office for the Suppression of Corruption and Organised Crime (PNUSKOK) – which include searches carried out at the University of Zagreb on 29 June 2023.
It is understood that, during the period between 1 October 2019 and November 2023, the dean and the professor at the Faculty of Geodesy had the task of organising public procurement procedures for goods, services and works related to four projects, all involving the faculty, with a total value of €5 988 300 – 85% of which was financed by EU funds. The four projects concerned: natural disaster risk assessment; a study on climate change; sustainable development of maritime ecosystems; and a survey of cultural heritage buildings that were damaged during an earthquake. It is alleged, however, that the dean and the professor used the funds for their own benefit, obtaining undue pecuniary gain for themselves and others.
According to the investigation, the main suspects obtained the funds by manipulating 28 procurement procedures so that specific companies – small businesses and law firms – were selected.
