ZAGREB, February 20, 2020 - The parliamentary Credentials and Privileges Commission (MIP) on Thursday unanimously additionally stripped former minister Lovro Kuščević of immunity at the request of the Office of the Chief State Prosecutor (DORH), which has decided to expand its investigation into him.
The decision paves the way for the USKOK anti-corruption office to launch criminal proceedings against Kuščević on the suspicion that he committed the crimes of taking a bribe, abuse of position and authority, incitement to abuse of trust in business activities, and incitement to causing a business to go bankrupt, MIP chairman Žarko Tušek explained.
In September 2019 Kuščević was stripped of immunity to allow criminal proceedings to be launched against him for two crimes of abuse of position and authority, however, as DORH has expanded the investigation, parliament was once again requested to strip Kuščević of immunity.
During his term as the mayor of Nerežišća on Brač island, Kuščević initiated amendment of the municipality's physical plan and repurposed his barn into a house as well as unlawfully enabled his brother-in-law to buy a government-subsidised flat.
USKOK has now extended the probe to include Kuščević's spouse and a business man from Split.
According to media reports, USKOK suspects Kuščević of not only rezoning land but of illegally gaining HRK 1.4 million and defrauding the state budget of about 300,000 kuna.
He is also charged with taking a bribe and the charge also refers to his brother-in-law Ivica Žuvić and businessman Ante Marinović.
USKOK believes that a plot of land on Brač island, registered as belonging to Žuvić, is actually owned by Kuščević and that Kuščević received it as a bribe from Marinović.
More corruption news can be found in the Politics section.
