According to the probe, Vinka Cetinski and other suspects are believed to have secured an illegal gain of some 73 million kuna and invested some of those funds into the banking system and concluded contracts to cover the source of illegal gain.

Members of their families also used those funds, although they were aware that the money was obtained unlawfully.

According to unofficial sources, one of those nine suspects is the 38-year-old son of Mirko and Vinka Cetinski, Matteo Cetinski, as well as a 48-year-old woman and a 69-year-old man from the families Sorgo and Hrvatin.

Opasic said that the Istrian County Office of the Chief State Prosecutor in Pula had been notified of the outcome of the police probe resulting in reasonable suspicion that nine people committed money laundering.

Koncar pressed charges against Vinka Cetinski, his long-time associate and director of the Pula-based Kermas Ulaganja in October 2010, accusing her of fraud and abuse of authority. He said that he had authorised her to buy land in Istria and that she defrauded him of 16.5 million euros.

Cetinski, a former manager of Kermas Ulaganja, lawyer Boris Sorgo and his son Marin, who own real estate agencies, and lawyer Zeljan Hrvatin are suspected of having defrauded Kermas Ulaganja through fraudulent deals. From 2007 to 2009, contrary to the firm's interests, the suspects were buying real estate at higher prices than those that prevailed in the area at the time and stated even higher amounts in the contracts. The difference between the stated and actual price they kept for themselves.