Three Years After Arrest, Kovačević and Co-Defendants’ Trial in Janaf Scandal Begins on Friday

The trial of former Janaf director Dragan Kovačević, charged with receiving and giving bribes and arranging deals in the state-owned company, is set to begin at the Zagreb County Court on Friday, November 24. This comes three years after he was arrested in the Janaf scandal. In addition to Kovačević, several other individuals have been indicted in the affair, including entrepreneurs Krešo Petek, Edo Seifried, Ivan Širić, and Vatroslav Sablić, as well as two former employees of Janaf.

The indictment accuses Kovačević of accepting a million euros from Petek in exchange for arranging jobs worth almost HRK 65 million for Petek’s company. It also alleges that Kovačević received two apartments from an entrepreneur whose companies he arranged deals worth millions of dollars. Dozens of witnesses are expected to be heard during the procedure for arranging deals worth HRK 100 million.

Furthermore, Kovačević and Petek are also involved in a second part of the Janaf affair related to arranging jobs for Elektrocentra Petek. A new investigation was launched against Kovačević and Petek by Uskok, accusing him of taking money from Petek in exchange for arranging jobs in Janaf; and Petek of buying clothes for Kovačević and his family and friends.

In a statement before the indictment panel, Kovačević claimed that the indictment is “completely fabricated and false” and urged a “quick and fair trial.” He also attempted to maneuver before the Constitutional Court to save his substantial assets but his efforts were unsuccessful. Prior to amendments made to criminal procedure code in June 2022 which now count asset freezing period until indictment is filed it was still unclear what would happen to Kovacjevic’s assets .