The list of charges against Ivica Todorić are as incredible as they are damning, but will this just be another situation without any real end?

As tportal/Zoran Korda writes on the 8th of November, 2018, just ten days after the British decided to finally extradite Ivica Todorić to Croatia to face trial for his alleged crimes within the giant Agrokor Group, he arrived in the Croatian capital of Zagreb.

After spending the night in Remetinec prison following a regular Croatia Airlines flight to Franjo Tudjman Airport from London Heathrow, the former owner of Agrokor should now go before the investigative judge of the Zagreb County Court, faced with allegations of malversations that damaged his former company for a massive 1.6 billion kuna.

Let's take a look back at just what the charges against Ivica Todorić are.

During the first investigation which launched back in October last year, Todorić, along with his sons Ante and Ivan and another dozen former senior Agrokor managers and auditors, are suspected of multiple criminal acts in doing business, including the forgery of documents.

The main point of the investigation was focused on deception involving financial statements over the last ten years. The initial suspicion was based on the results of a PwC audit, which found that by concealing the real costs and debts, and by overestimating the company's gains, Todorić unlawfully paid the dividend.

This came to a total of 720 million kuna, which was apparently paid to Todorić, more specifically his Dutch company Adria Group Holding BV, for quite a number of years.

Todorić is also suspected of misusing Agrokor's money for the launch of an initial public shares offer (IPO), for collecting fresh capital and listing Agrokor on the London Stock Exchange. The audit found that a sum of about two billion kuna intended for this purpose was mostly used to cover his personal expenses.

The former owner of Agrokor is also charged for withdrawing money from Agrokor to finance his personal financial operations. He is therefore suspected of having embezzled around 650 million kuna in complex financial transactions for the purchase of Agrokor's shares by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

A loan of 192 million kuna, approved by Agrokor, was used for interest payments for PIK (payment in kind) bonds, issued back in 2014 for Mercator's takeover. Todorić was formally obliged to return this borrowed money from the future dividends of Agrokor. However, the money was never returned, and the loans didn't present themselves in the balance, but were instead classified as cash.

There is also a suspicion of him having organised the undercover financing of the company through a monopoly business in order to attempt to properly conceal the actual debt situation. In this way, the overall figure was falsely cut by as much as 1.5 billion kuna.

A second investigation was launched in December last year, and that relates to illegal loans which the private investment fund Nexus Private Equity gave to Agrokor back in 2016, through the Nexus company.

In the ongoing legal proceedings so far, the prosecution has examined 16 out of 17 witnesses and can't actually get to the last of them all because the individual in question lives in the Netherlands and is a citizen of that country.

Still to come is the very extensive financial and auditing expertise carried out by the KPMG audit firm, which should be completed by the end of the year.

While it has been reported that Todorić is set to remain in custody for now, owing to an apparent ''flight risk'', the belief still remains that Todoric will likely await his actual trial in freedom, as there is no longer any danger of him or others influencing any witnesses.

Want to keep up with the charges against Ivica Todorić now he's back in Croatia? Stay up to date here.

Click here for the original article by Zoran Korda for tportal

People often say that less is more, and that can apply to words, too. Former Economy Minister Martina Dalić, once one of the most powerful women in Croatia, was short and not so sweet in her comments about Ivica Todorić's extradition from London to Croatia to face trial for his alleged crimes in Agrokor.

Martina Dalić is a controversial character who was heavily involved in the entire Agrokor saga from start to finish. Close to Agrokor's extraordinary administration proceedings from the beginning, the former Deputy Prime Minister has been shrouded in suspicion for a while, particularly since the discovery of her having used a simple Hotmail email account to discuss extremely sensitive matters with other involved individuals, known as the Hotmail Affair, which saw her leave her position at Prime Minister Andrej Plenković's side.

One thing that stands out when it comes to Dalić is Todorić's previous insisting, via his now somewhat infamous blog, that she had been sending him and his family members threatening emails and messages, in an apparent attempt, in his words, to blackmail him into singing Lex Agrokor, a law which in itself, despite having allowed the government to intervene and rescue Agrokor as a company, boasts more question marks than it does clear answers.

Of course, people ignored Todorić's often rather bizarre allegations which he had a tendency to fire at all and sundry across the political scene in Croatia, claiming Plenković had given him chocolates at midnight was one of the stranger statements. When the Hotmail Affair raised its ugly head, however, people recalled what Todorić had written about all those months ago online, and although she allowed DORH to investigate all of the electronic devices she uses for communication, a move though which she proved her innocence at least in this matter, nobody was laughing anymore and the seeds of doubt about Martina Dalić were planted in the minds of many.

Ivica Todorić was finally extradited to Croatia last night following the British decision to reject his appeals and push forward with his removal from the United Kingdom, where he'd been living for the past year under the watchful eye of the British authorities after handing himself in to the metropolitan police and paying a hefty bail fee. Todorić spent the night in Remetinec prison in Zagreb, and you can read more about what happened last night here.

Martina Dalić was of course asked for her thoughts and opinions on Todorić's extradition to Croatia, and she was in no real rush to provide a response. In fact her lack of desire to even discuss the matter was surprising given her level of involvement in the Agrokor case. With the ex Agrokor boss' extradition happening so soon after the publishing and promotion of her brand new book on the matter, a book which has also been met with appreciation and disgust across the board, one would assume she'd have quite a bit to say.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 8th of November, 2018, insistant journalists urged her to comment on the extradition of Ivica Todorić to Croatia, and Dalić was very short.

Her obvious lack of desire caused journalists to insist on her providing a response to the extradition from London, about which she was extremely short and blunt:

"That's not something I'd be interested in," she said.

As Novi List reports, Martina Dalić is currently in Opatija where she is part of a panel entitled "Economic Reforms: A solution or a problem?". Agrokor's current extraordinary commissioner, Fabris Peruško, is also participating in the event.

Want to keep up with more news about Todorić's case now he's back in Croatia? Make sure to stay up to date with our news page.

Exactly one year after handing himself over to the British authorities at Charing Cross Station in London, the extradition of Ivica Todorić to Croatia to face trial for his alleged crimes in Agrokor, has finally happened.

To briefly recall, Ivica Todorić handed himself over to the British authorities following the issuing of a European Arrest Warrant by Croatia. The metropolitan police then detained Todorić as the warrant prescribed, before releasing him on bail after he paid the £100,000 fee. He continued to live at relative liberty in London for the next year, fighting his looming extradition.

Earlier this year, the British rejected Todorić's appeals and approved his extradition, and exactly one year to the day of his first contact with the London police, the British extradited him, on a regular Croatia Airlines flight, back to the Croatian capital, where the Croatian police awaited his arrival.

Well known N1 journalist Hrvoje Krešić tweeted yesterday afternoon that Todorić was in the process of transition and that he was expected in Croatia soon.

As Index writes on the 7th of November, 2018, at 16:45, HRT announced that Ivica Todorić had been seen at London Heathrow Airport.

The regular Croatia Airlines flight from London Heathrow was delayed as boarding took a while, and Todorić was the first to enter the aircraft with his police escorts. He was separated from other passengers, and his wife Vesna Todorić was not allowed to sit next to him.

His wife, Vesna, who had to leave her husband upon landing in Zagreb, was asked how she felt. She responded, visibly shaken: ''How would you feel if you were extradited? He's an innocent man. My husband is innocent, he hasn't stolen anything. I'm going home, and he's going to jail.''

Todorić himself remained calm, and was allegedly reading British newspapers and drinking Jana water on board. Although filming and taking photographs on the flight was strictly forbidden, upon being asked how he felt by journalists on the flight, he said that he ''felt good''.

The extradition of Ivica Todorić was nowhere near as eventful as many had hoped, and his flight ended up landing at Zagreb's Franjo Tudjman Airport at 20:58 last night, where a police transfer van was already waiting for him.

Todorić didn't leave the airport through the regular passenger terminal, and was arrested and escorted to the police van upon his arrival at Zagreb Airport, the police then took him straight to Remetinec prison.

To recall, official investigations against Ivica Todorić, his sons Ivan and Ante, and twelve of Agrokor's former managers and auditors were launched last year for the illegal obtaining of one billion and 142 million kuna from Agrokor, which almost dragged the Croatian economy to its knees. Click here for detailed information on exactly what happened within Agrokor, and get better acquainted with Todorić's situation up until now here.

Want to keep up with more info on the extradition of Ivica Todorić and the processes that will now follow? Make sure to keep up with our news page.

While the bleak stories about Croats taking advantage of the European Union's policy of freedom of movement and leaving the country in their droves continue to dominate the headlines of the Croatian press, as well as the conversations taking place across Croatian cafes and bars, there are also many Croatian returnee stories to be told.

These returnees are either on their journeys back to Croatia after spending a few weeks or months in another European country like Ireland and the UK realising they were sold propaganda about how ''easy'' life is, or they simply have a calling for home.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 4th of November, 2018, Lara from Zagreb is one such person who returned from the glitz and glam of the British capital to Croatia, as she still has faith that Croatia can be transformed into an amazing country.

''I know this might sound a little strange, but I still believe that Croatia can be a great country, and that we've got excellent predispositions for success. I agree, people here are don't have it easy. If you go abroad, yes, you'll find it a lot easier to get a job. The challenge is living abroad, but to find a decent and well paid job, perhaps not immediately in the profession [for which you've studied], isn't difficult,'' Lara stated.

''If you can't find a job in London, you'll never find one. But that wasn't the challenge,'' 26-year-old Lara Hamer said, beginning her story.

Lara belongs to one of the first generations of children born in independent Croatia (1992), but her story is quite different from those Croatian returnee stories of her generation that we most often see and read today.

First of all, as Slobodna Dalmacija writes, Lara acquired her bachelor's degree in international relations and politics back in July, from a British university in Northampton, a town somewhat larger than Split (200,000 inhabitants), located about a hundred miles northwest of London. However, she decided to return to Croatia as opposed to staying on in England, and not to simply sit here twiddling her thumbs waiting for someone to chase her down and offer her a job, but with an already developed idea that she intended to bring to Croatia.

Back in March of this year, she and her friend Bruna Tomšić from Zagreb, who completed journalism in Northampton, and Antonia Obrvan from Metković, had managed to conceive a project for social entrepreneurship to help the unemployed youth in Croatia, called MilleniDREAM. Less than half a year later, in October, the women presented their project at a Chicago conference organised upon the foundations of no less than former US President Bill Clinton. 

Unfortunately in the end, the project didn't win the financial support it needed from the conference, but success was found in the fact that out of 10,000 entries from around the world, MilleniDREAM entered into a round of thousands of people who received an invitation to Chicago to introduce and present themselves to numerous potential donors. Clinton's money was received by only seven projects.

"We'll now seek financial support from EU funds," stated an optimistic Lara.

The aforementioned women imagined that the project would link young people, academia, and employers in order to provide students with volunteer opportunities, and eventually get them into work. In addition, they would organise employment fairs, and also help students gain some of the skills needed today to compete on the ever-challenging labour market.

"We're planning so-called ''soft skills'' workshops to help young people write resumes, better present themselves to their future employers, create a good interview, run their social networks to make themselves more interesting to employers, lets say on Linkedin, which is read by many, especially by foreign employers. Today, young people graduate from college and compete for work by writing their CV over five pages. That's old school, and no employer will read it all because there's no time,'' Lara added.

While Bruna's colleague found a job in London directly through a LinkedIn status, Antonia is looking in Strasbourg at the Council of Europe, Lara, aware that the project may take some time to gain some ground, will soon start working in the field of communication.

While not all Croatian returnee stories are perfectly happy ones, the stories of those living abroad aren't always walks in the park either, and they both need to have their place in the media if we're to look at the situation objectively.

Want to hear more about Croatian returnee stories, emigration, immigration, and Croatia's very many foreign entreprenerus and their stories? Make sure to keep up with our lifestyle page.

The Ivica Todorić latest... Although the High Court in London refused the former Agrokor boss' appeal and confirmed that it was indeed now time for him to return to Croatia, there is another possible remedy to his situation: a request for appeal to the Supreme Court. It ain't over til the fat lady sings, as they say in Ole' Blighty.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 26th of October, 2018, despite being very much under the watchful eye of the Metropolitan police, Ivica Todorić is still at relative liberty in the British capital. After the High Court refused his appeal and confirmed his extradition to Croatia, it doesn't necessarily mean we've come to the very end of the line. Let us not pretend that the chances of him managing to slither out of this situation are great, they aren't, the possibilities of success in him submitting an appeal to the Supreme Court are extremely narrow. Such a move could only really ''take off'' if his rights have been somehow violated, for example, as N1 reports.

Jadranka Sloković, Ivica Todorić's attorney, says she doesn't know whether or not Todorić will decide to attempt to go down that route.

"That's not my decision," she stated simply. It appears also that nobody is quite sure when Todorić will have to return to Croatia at all.

"I don't know exactly when those deadlines are, and according to what I've heard from his English lawyers, it can take about three to four weeks, a maximum of four weeks. Even if he was to go along with this appeal and it ends up getting rejected, it's about four weeks,'' noted Sloković.

Paperwork and red tape will be, as usual, the main hold up should there be any delays in the upcoming process. The transfer from London, where Todorić has been living for about a year, back to Zagreb, needs to be very carefully arranged by the police in Zagreb and in London, as well dealing with who will accompany him on what will likely be a very regular flight from England to Croatia.

"That's all their thing, and as you know, these processes aren't public so we can't talk about them," stated Davor Božinović, the current Croatian Minister of the Interior.

Back in Croatia in Remetinec (Zagreb prison), a decision on the appeal has been being awaited, and a witness who is apparently currently not in Croatia should be questioned.

Todorić's defense thinks that that one witness in question poses no reason for Todorić to be held in custody, but the Zagreb County State Attorney's Office is sticking to its guns. The real question is does it actually make any sense.

"I don't think that it's likely to be for this reason alone, even the court in London has allowed him (Todorić) to remain at liberty with precautionary measures in place," said Aleksandar Maršavelski, a professor of law at the Faculty of Law in Zagreb.

While the Zagreb State Attorney's Office continues investigating, it has, at least currently, revealed absolutely nothing about its plans regarding this issue.

In addition to the questioning of various witnesses, an ongoing accounting audit should be carried out within the scope of the investigation - this will apparently be carried out by a Polish company. Involved attorneys are not particularly pleased with this because they believe, among other things, that this will slow the process down even more and increase costs. They aren't sure it will even be completed on time.

Fran Olujić, Ante Todorić's lawyer stated that he has serious doubts that such an examination can be carried out and completed in the time given, which is a mere three months.

The Agrokor case which rocked Croatia has been being led against Todorić and numerous others who once made up the gigantic company's former management body for an entire year.

Follow the latest news about the former Agrokor supremo here.

''Changes in any system can't take place overnight and it takes a lot of patience and work to make the results visible'', states Matea Jerić, now running three hotels in Croatia.

With his extradition now confirmed and looming, the former Agrokor boss still isn't giving up. The latest from Ivica Todorić.

The announcement of these flights has recently been transmitted by one of Britain's most well-known magazines.

Agrokor's former main man fights on in the fog of London.

The court should make the final decision on whether Todorić will be extradited to Croatia.