A former minister Tomislav Tolusic of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) was questioned on Monday by the anti-corruption office Uskok as a suspect in an alleged case of corruption, while another former minister, Josip Aladrovic, also member of the HDZ party, is due to give his deposition on Monday afternoon.

Tolusic was accompanied by his attorney Ilija Stanic. Before he was questioned, a former state secretary in the Regional Development Ministry, Velimir Zunac, was also questioned. His attorney, Fran Olujic, said that Zunac said he did not feel guilty, but he did refuse to answer any of the prosecutor’s questions.

Former Labour Minister Josip Aladrovic’s attorney, Nikola Mandic, confirmed earlier to the Croatian state news agency Hina that Aladrovic was expected to be questioned on Monday. He is charged with showing favouritism on two occasions with regards to employment in 2018 and 2019 when he served as director of the Croatian Pension Insurance Fund (HZMO).

Without revealing their identity, the prosecution said this was an extension of a previous investigation of former Minister of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets Darko Horvat (HDZ), who, along with his assistant Ana Mandac, is suspected of illegally inciting four co-suspects to award 2.6 million kuna (€346,000) in grants to enterprises he was personally interested in.

Horvat and Mandac, along with Tolusic and Zunac, former deputy prime minister Boris Milosevic, and the head of the ministry’s department for areas of special state concern, Katica Miskovic, are all suspects in this case.

The extended investigation into Aladrovic also implicates the Mayor of the eastern Croatian town of Zupanja, Damir Juzbasic, also former member of the HDZ, turned Independent candidate on the right-wing DP party’s slate.