The County Court in the northern Adriatic city of Rijeka on Monday ordered the release of six suspects in the Uljanik fraud case, who were arrested in late March this year, from investigative detention.

The six suspects, former Uljanik Group management board chair Gianni Rossanda, former Uljanik Group management board members Marinko Brgic and Veljko Grbac, former 3. Maj shipyard board chair Maksimilijan Percan, former Uljanik Plovidba director Dragutin Pavletic, and former Uljanik shipyard director Silvan Kranjc, had been remanded in custody because there was a risk that they might influence witnesses in the investigation.

Court spokesman Zoran Srsen said that there were no more grounds for detention because all the witnesses had been interviewed during the investigation.

Also suspected in this case are eight other persons, as well as the Uljanik Plovidba company.

They are suspected of committing financial wrongdoing and state aid fraud at the Uljanik and 3. Maj shipyards between January 2010 and mid-October 2017, whereby the two companies and the state budget were defrauded of HRK 1.2 billion (EUR 162 million).