USKOK files charges against former minister Beroš and seven others for corruption in healthcare

(Patria) - USKOK announced on Wednesday that it has completed its investigation and filed charges with the Zagreb County Court against former Croatian Minister of Health Vili Beroš and seven co-defendants for corruption in the procurement of medical equipment.

In this case, the state budget was allegedly damaged by corruption by more than 740,000 euros, and the former minister is suspected of receiving 75,000 euros in bribes, Hina reports.

The affair of selling medical equipment at inflated prices, along with Beroš, includes entrepreneur Hrvoje Petrač, who surrendered to Croatian authorities last week after eight months on the run, his sons Novica and Nikola Petrač, entrepreneur Saša Pozder, former head of the Neurology Clinic at KBC Sestre Milosrdnice Krešimir Rotim, director of Zagreb Children's Hospital Goran Roić, and Tomo Pavić from the Krapina branch of HZZO.

Without revealing identities, USKOK stated that it charges the eight defendants with criminal offenses of criminal association, giving and receiving bribes, abuse of position and authority, illegal favoritism, trading in influence, and money laundering, all as part of a criminal association, as well as receiving bribes and illegal favoritism.

The indictment also includes three legal entities, which USKOK charges with giving bribes, illegal favoritism, and money laundering, all as part of a criminal association, as well as receiving bribes.

After USKOK announced in November last year that it had arrested Beroš, Rotim, and Pozder, the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) in Zagreb announced that it had launched an investigation against Beroš and seven other individuals.

Unlike USKOK, which suspected Beroš of trading in influence, and whose investigation did not mention the then-fugitive Hrvoje Petrač or his two sons who were also on the run but have since surrendered, EPPO suspected Beroš of receiving bribes from the beginning.

State Attorney General Ivan Turudić later decided that USKOK was competent for the entire case, to which EPPO handed over the file, and Chief European Prosecutor Laura Kovesi reported Turudić to the European Commission.

The Municipal State Attorney's Office in Zagreb subsequently announced that it was investigating the leak of data from the EPPO investigation, which was later merged with the Croatian prosecution's investigation.