The Special Prosecution has brought charges against the former head of Hrvatske ceste, Josip Škorić. He is accused of rigging contracts for his relative, the director of Osijek Koteks, and another company.
According to the indictment, Josip Škorić, in his capacity as president of the board of Hrvatske ceste, reached a corrupt agreement with the director of the company Structivo, Sanja Bajtl, with whom he had a personal connection, as well as with Zoran Škorić. The agreement stipulated that the two would provide bribes to Josip Škorić in the form of material benefits as he determined. In return, they were to receive contracts for works between Hrvatske ceste and Osijek Koteks, which would engage Structino as a subcontractor.
Josip Škorić used his powers as president of the board in several public procurement procedures, in which the Osijek company was one of the bidders. He directed that the public procurement procedure for the reconstruction of the state road be concluded quickly, knowing that the Osijek company and Structino were interested in the work.
After the procedure, he signed a decision appointing the Osijek company, and without the consent of the supervisory board, he signed the contract for the works. Zoran Škorić, according to the agreement, engaged Structino as a subcontractor. In the tender procedure, the two agreed that the offer would be submitted by Osijek Koteks, which would then engage Structino as a subcontractor and assign it almost all the work, as Structino did not have the references required to meet the conditions of the Hrvatske ceste tender. Josip Škorić, following the agreement and at the request of Bajtin, adjusted the terms of the work and payment to the capabilities and needs of Structino, so that the company could be engaged as a subcontractor.
After the procedure, he signed a decision appointing the work to Osijek Koteks, and without the consent of the supervisory board, he signed the contract for the works. Zoran Škorić again engaged Structino as a subcontractor. Josip Škorić is also charged in the tender procedures for the construction of the expressway and the bypass, where he signed the decision on the selection of the offers of Osijek Koteks, although its offers in both procedures were significantly higher than the estimated value of the procurement.
In exchange for concluding these contracts, Bajtin paid Josip Škorić for the tailoring of clothing, the cost of the celebration he organised in the restaurant, and the part of the construction work on the renovation of his family home. Zoran Škorić purchased a car and additional equipment for him, with which Škori, according to the estimate of the Special Prosecution, improperly benefited by almost €130,000.
At the end of July, the Special Prosecution brought charges against Škori and three other suspects for fraud in the implementation of public tenders for road maintenance. In addition to Škori, the Special Prosecution's indictment also included the director of the sector for transport in Hrvatske autoceste, Silvio Čamber, the retired professor of the Faculty of Transport, Anđelko Ščukan, and the head of the Institute for Transport Signaling, Darko Babić. The group is charged with bribery, trading in influence, and abuse of position and authority.
In both cases, Škori was arrested and spent some time in pre-trial detention. At the time, he was formally on annual leave at Hrvatske ceste, where, after resigning from his position as president of the board, he continued to work as a consultant. Following the first arrest in September 2024, he was suspended from the HDZ.
