Croatian authorities have secured a one-month prison sentence for Vedran Pavlekov as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged embezzlement from the Croatian Social Democratic Union (HSS). The ruling, issued by the Zagreb court on March 31st, follows a request from the Croatian Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime Agency (Uskok). Pavlekov is one of four suspects formally charged in the case, which centers around the alleged diversion of tens of millions of euros from the HSS.
Investigators allege the funds were transferred through a network of fictitious deals with offshore companies operating internationally. According to Uskok, approximately 30 million euros are believed to have been misappropriated from the HSS since 2014. One-third of the total sum is suspected to have been deposited into accounts controlled by Pavlekov, which are located abroad.
Pavlekov was reportedly abroad during the arrests of the other suspects, primarily in Croatia and Turkey, at the end of March. Turkish authorities seized his mobile phone but did not detain him. He was awaiting surrender to Croatian authorities, staying at a luxury hotel overlooking the Bosporus in recent days.
