2 hours agoFormer Croatian minister punished for misusing EU funds for luxury dinners, paid with them for her birthday
Periskopi(9 months ago)
(9 months ago)A former Croatian minister, who had only been convicted of corruption, was pronounced another sentence on September 2nd for spending thousands of euros from European Union funds for luxury dinners. Gabriela Zalac, who was dismissed from her post as EU fund minister in Croatia in mid-2019, was [...]
Gabriela Zalac, who was dismissed from her post as EU fund minister in Croatia in mid-2019, was sentenced to seven months in prison for misusing office and official authority, the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) announced through an announcement.
Several ministers from Prime Minister Andrej Plenkoviq's conservative HDZ party have resigned because of allegations of corruption since he took power in 2016.
According to EPO's announcement, which has the competence of investigating EU funds abuses, Zalac spent almost 10,000 euros in restaurants during at least nine cases.
Local media reported she used EU funds to cover the expenses of celebrating her 40th birthday.
Zalac, who was first arrested in 2021, pleaded guilty to the charges and repaid the total amount.
In June, she also pleaded guilty to misuse of office and illegal influence in connection with the purchase of a new IT system for the ministry she was leading.
She was sentenced to two years in prison for her role in misusing more than 1.3m euros and agreed to pay 200,000 euros in partial compensation. / REL/ Periscopi/
