The military police arrested two individuals suspected of corruption on Thursday morning, following a warrant issued by the State Prosecutor's Office. According to unconfirmed information provided by Novi list, one of those arrested is a brigadier who oversaw public procurement at the Ministry of Defence until the end of 2021.
The arrests and urgent evidence-gathering measures, which include searches of homes and business premises, are being conducted by the Independent Sector for Military Police Affairs of the Ministry of Defence in cooperation with the Zagreb, Istria, and Zadar police administrations. The operations are taking place in the Zagreb, Istria, and Zadar counties, according to a statement from the State Prosecutor's Office.
"The aforementioned actions are being carried out in relation to two individuals against whom there are reasonable grounds to suspect the commission of corruption offences," the prosecution stated, without providing details on the identities of the suspects or the specific charges against them.
According to Novi list, it is learned that Brigadier Ivica Dević, the head of the Independent Sector for Public Procurement at the Ministry of Defence, was arrested until the end of 2021. From 1 January 2022, he was transferred to the Administration for Material Resources, and his transfer had previously attracted public attention due to claims of police inquiries that the ministry had not confirmed.
Following the completion of the searches, the suspects will be handed over to the detention supervisor and questioned at the State Prosecutor's Office. The prosecution will then decide whether to initiate proceedings against them and seek pre-trial detention, with the public to be informed in due course, as announced.
