The owner of the Fimi Media advertising company, Nevenka Jurak, will remain in custody for another three months, while her associate Anita Loncar Papes, who was deposed by the Office for the Suppression of Corruption and Organised Crime (USKOK), will be released, the Zagreb County Court said on Tuesday.
The decision to extend Jurak's detention and release Loncar Papes was made by investigating judge Kresimir Devcic, who is overseeing USKOK's investigation into suspicions that tens of millions of kuna were siphoned from public companies and ministries via Fimi Media.
Devcic made the decision at USKOK's proposal that this time Jurak be remanded in custody to prevent her from influencing the witnesses that have not been questioned in this case yet, rather than to prevent her from repeating the crime.
Yesterday, the Constitutional Court sustained part of Jurak's complaint and ruled that she would not repeat the crime of which she is suspected. Her attorneys had argued that the first custody extension two months ago breached her constitutional rights to a fair trial and equality before the law.
However, the Constitutional Court did not overrule the Zagreb County Court's decision that Jurak might tamper with witnesses. About 30 have been deposed so far and as many new ones have been proposed in the meantime. According to sources close to the investigation, among the new ones are officials of the ruling HDZ party on the suspicion that part of the siphoned money ended in the party's coffers.
Jurak was the first suspect arrested in the Fimi Media case on August 9. Although she would not speak about the accusations against her at first, her attorneys claimed after filing the constitutional complaint that it would be very bad if she remained mute.
It is being speculated that after being deposed by USKOK investigators, Jurak might be released.
The other suspect in the case, Mladen Barisic, a former customs chief and HDZ treasurer, has been questioned by USKOK investigators on the suspicion that he siphoned about HRK 40 million from public companies and ministries via Fimi Media.
Barisic was arrested after being accused by many witnesses during the investigation into the case.
Those deposed by USKOK have allegedly also accused former Prime Minister and HDZ leader Ivo Sanader who, according to unofficial information, received part of the money siphoned via Fimi Media.
