Former Varadzin mayor Ivan Cehok has offered HRK 2.6 million bail, which an investigating judge has accepted, but given that the anti-corruption agency USKOK has announced an appeal, a final decision on Cehok's possible release on bail will be made by the Zagreb County Court next week.
One of Cehok's lawyers, Jasna Novak, told reporters that the former mayor of the northern Croatian city has offered a mortgage on his home in Varazdin and the land where his mother's house is located, as well as HRK 110,000 in cash.
USKOK said it would appeal the decision which the investigating judge made on Thursday, saying that Cehok should remain in investigating detention, as he could tamper with some 20 witnesses that were yet to be heard.
Cehok offered to pay bail two days ago, after businessman Davor Patafta, who is suspected of municipal land fraud together with Cehok, was released from Remetinec prison after posting 12 million kuna (1.6 million euros) bail, the highest bail in Croatian judicial history. USKOK appealed that decision too, but the appeal was rejected.
The investigating judge told press that two days ago he accepted HRK 2 million bail, posted by third suspect Narcisa Huljev, member of the managing board of Patafta's company through which the three had allegedly defrauded the city budget of 29 million kuna.
Earlier this week, Cehok resigned as mayor of Varazdin while in investigative custody in Remetinec prison in Zagreb. After the resignation there are no more risk of Cehok repeating the crime, which was the reason for his detention, so the investigating judge released him on these grounds.
The investigation has recently been widened against the three on suspicion of conspiracy to make it possible for Patafta to buy, with a non-existent amount of 6.2 million kuna, a majority stake in the Varazdin Airport company, which is worth 21 million kuna. Cehok is also suspected of defrauding the city budget by granting two loans worth a total of 4 million kuna to Patafta's company.
