ZAGREB, March 12, 2018 - Zagreb County Court on Monday upheld seven of ten counts of the indictment against Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić and his co-defendants in the Agram corruption case, returning three counts to the prosecutors for elaboration.
Defence lawyer Anto Nobilo said that the counts of the indictment that had been returned referred to "bulky waste and the mayor's election campaign." He said that the anti-corruption office USKOK now had three months to elaborate on the indictment.
Nobilo said that the court's move was a precedent, adding that he could not remember when a portion of an indictment had been upheld and a portion returned to investigators.
USKOK prosecutor Marta Šamota Galjer said it would be clear which parts of the indictment needed elaborating after they received a copy of the ruling on Tuesday. "We think everything was cleared up during the investigation and thoroughly explained in the indictment," she added.
Mayor Bandić did not attend the hearing.
The mayor and the 15 co-defendants, including his associates and business partners of municipal companies, are charged with embezzling at least 25 million kuna (3.3 million euros). They are accused of abuse of position and powers, influence peddling, tax evasion, customs fraud, obstruction of evidence, forging official or business documents, and inciting or procuring others to commit perjury.
Bandić is charged with making illegal transactions with the CIOS waste management company, owned by Petar Pripuz, who is also among those accused. He is also charged with failure to pay taxes on donations received after the 2010 elections in which he ran for president.
