Renata Cvrčić Drljević, the former deputy public prosecutor, admitted today to part of the charges brought by the State Directorate for the Suppression of Corruption and Corruption (USKOK). She admitted to using her position to help a local businessman expedite the purchase of state property, while denying the allegation that she received a €3,000 bribe.
"I feel guilty about the first point of the indictment, but not the second," Cvrčić Drljević stated. This is the second attempt to proceed with the case against her and her husband, architect Reuf Drljević, who is also implicated in the case.
The third accused in the case, local construction entrepreneur Goran Džepina, had previously pleaded guilty and reached a settlement with USKOF. He was sentenced to a conditional sentence of ten months' imprisonment with a four-year probation period, and must pay €600 in court costs. Džepina will now be heard as a witness in the proceedings against the former prosecutor and her husband.
According to the indictment, from autumn 2020 to June 2023, Cvrčić Drljević used her position and connections in the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Construction and State Property to expedite the resolution of Džepina's request. The entrepreneur sought to purchase two state properties in Sveti Lovreč on the island of Lošinj: a house with a yard with a total area of 174 square metres and another yard of seven square metres. Džepina had previously obtained a decision on the existing state, thereby meeting the legal conditions for purchasing state land, but the process was delayed.
According to the indictment, as there was no basis for the local public prosecutor's office to officially intervene in the matter, Džepina sought help through the wife of the then prosecutor. USKOF alleges that Cvrčić Drljević then contacted ministry officials and urged them to expedite the case. She requested that the valuation of the property be accelerated, that the valuation be provided to the entrepreneur, and that the sales contract and the tabular document be drawn up and certified, a document required for the registration of ownership in the land registry. It is this part of the indictment that the former prosecutor has today admitted to.
Cvrčić Drljević denies that she requested or received a bribe in exchange for her services. According to the second point of the indictment, she requested €3,000 on 9 December 2022 to help resolve the matter on her behalf. Džepina, according to USKOF, agreed to this, and the money was handed over to her husband, Reuf Drljević, in two installments. First, €2,000 was handed over, and then on 7 March 2023, a further €1,000. Džepina has already admitted to the bribery, but his conviction does not prove the guilt of the former prosecutor and her husband. The court will decide on their responsibility following the evidence-gathering phase.
The trial was scheduled to begin on 25 August, but neither Cvrčić Drljević nor her husband appeared in court at that time. Her lawyer stated that the former prosecutor was facing anxiety and fear of the court proceedings, while the husband had not accepted the court summons. The presiding judge, Ana Kovačević, requested medical documentation to verify the validity of the absence. Cvrčić Drljević was dismissed from her post as deputy public prosecutor on 23 September 2024. She and her husband are now both on leave, stating they are retired.
In the next phase of the proceedings, the court will hear from Goran Džepina and several witnesses who worked in the Ministry of Spatial Planning during the relevant period. Documents from the court file will also be read out.
