The detention for former deputy prime minister Damir Polancec has been suspended and he is expected to be released from the Remetinac prison on Thursday afternoon.
The Zagreb County Court decided to release Polancec from custody at the proposal of the anti-curruption agency USKOK which heard all the witnesses in the Croatian Power Supply company case so it is no longer possible for Polancec to tamper with witnesses and thus obstruct the investigation.
Polancec has been in custody since March when he was arrested for abuse of office related to wrongdoing in the Koprivnica-based food company Podravka, where he started his career in 1992.
Polancec's attorney Anto Nobilo appealed saying that his client was unlawfully being held in custody as the last witness was heard yesterday.
"In the worst-case scenario, Polancec should have been released this morning, because every minute outside the prison is prescious," Nobilo told reporters, after the closed-door hearing at which Judge Zdenko Posavec ruled that Polancec be released.
Also released today was the CEO of the Sibenik-based light metal factory TLM, Ivan Kostan. Former HEP director Ivan Mravak, who is also suspected of wrogdoings in the power company has not been released.
Polancec, Mravak and Ivan Kostan, are suspected of having defrauded HEP of some 600,000 kuna.
HEP was defrauded of most of the money in question because it sold electricity to TLM at prices that were several times lower than the price.
Apart from his role in the Podravka and HEP cases, USKOK indicted Polancec for his role in the illegal installation of lighting in the football field of Osvit Football Club in his hometown of Djelekovec near Koprivnica. The lighting equipment cost over 230,000 kuna (31,500 euros).
He is also suspected of having allegedly paid HRK 500,000 for an unnecessary study at taxpayers' expense.
The national anti-corruption agency (USKOK) suspects a lawyer from Vukovar, Petar Miletic, of having incited Polancec to pay him that sum for drafting the study which was unnecessary as all acts for the subject matter of that study had already been adopted.
The 19-page study, made by lawyer Miletic, was actually the result of copying of documents already adopted for that purpose. Nevertheless, the economy ministry at whose helm was Polancec paid him HRK 500,000 for this service, USKOK said.
Mavrak and Kostan have been in custody since 8 May.
