Ex-Croatian prime minister pleads 'not guilty' in corruption trial

deutsche welle
CRIME

10.11.2011
Croatia's former prime minister has denied accepting bribes from a Hungarian oil company as his corruption trial resumed in Zagreb. Sanader already stands accused of receiving bribes from an Austrian bank.

Former Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader pleaded not guilty to further corruption charges on Thursday as his trial continued in the Croatian capital, Zagreb.

Sanader said he denied "categorically and with indignation" accepting a bribe worth 10 million euros ($13.63 million) from the Hungarian oil company MOL. The latest charges were added to an existing corruption case against the 58-year-old which began last week....more...
read more: deutsche welle
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,15523316,00.html

Former Health Official Arrested over Swine Flu Vaccines

balkan insight
20 SEP 2011 / 12:10

Police have arrested Svetlana Vukajlovic, former director general of the Republic Institute for Health Insurance (RZZO), and two other persons on suspicion of abusing their official positions.

Belgrade B92/Tanjug

According to Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic, Vukajlovic is suspected of abusing her position during the procurement of vaccines against the H1N1 virus. Dacic also told Tanjug that the directors of companies Jugohemija and Detap companies, Vladimir Gravar and Ljubomir Pavlicevic, had also been arrested....more...
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/former-health-official-arrested-over-swine-flu-vaccines

Serbia's Markovic fights corruption, public scepticism

se times
19/09/2011

EU accession hinges in part on progress in fighting pervasive corruption, prompting Serbia to roll out a whole new strategy.
By Igor Jovanovic for Southeast European Times in Belgrade -- 19/09/11
Anti-Corruption Agency Director Zorana Markovic is at the helm of one of the institutions meant to fight corruption, which is considered the biggest obstacle facing Serbia on the road to the EU....more....
read more: se times
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/articles/2011/09/19/reportage-01

Croatian ex-Premier Ivo Sanader charged with corruption

bbc news
31 August 2011, Last updated 16:55 GMT
The authorities in Croatia have charged former Prime Minister Ivo Sanader with corruption over a loan he negotiated in 1995.

He is alleged to have received a kickback worth nearly $695,000 (£425,000; 480,000 euros) for the loan from the Austrian bank Hypo.

He is said to have facilitated Hypo's entry into the Croatian market....more...
read more: bbc news
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14733763

Ivo Sanader, Croatia's ex-PM, extradited from Austria

bbc news
19 July 2011 Last updated at 11:48 GMT
Croatia has put its former Prime Minister Ivo Sanader behind bars after his night-time extradition from Austria.
He is due to be questioned this week over allegations of corruption and abuse of power....more...
read more: bbc news
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14202739

Sanader declines to answer prosecutor's questions

tportal.hr
SANADER CASE
21.07.2011 19:05

Author: Radio.net
At his first appearance before anti-corruption agency USKOK investigators, former Croatian prime minister Ivo Sanader denied all accusations against him in the Fimi Media case, Sanader's lawyers told reporters on Thursday after a two-hour interrogation held in the Remetinec prison, adding that Sanader would continue presenting his defence on Wednesday when he is expected to answer to bribe-taking charges in the Hypo bank case, in which he is suspected of receiving a 3.5 million kuna commission from the bank in exchange for selecting the Austrian bank to grant a loan to Croatia...more...
read more: tportal.hr
http://daily.tportal.hr/139694/Sanader-declines-to-answer-prosecutor-s-questions.html

Sanader not on vengeance mission, lawyer says

tportal.hr
SANADER CASE
19.07.2011 17:42

Author: Radio.net
Former Prime Minister Ivo Sanader is not on a vengeance mission, but wants to participate in the proceedings against him without any politicisation, one of his lawyers, Cedo Prodanovic, said on Tuesday after visiting Sanader in Zagreb's Remetinec Prison.....more...
read more: tportal.hr
http://daily.tportal.hr/139291/Sanader-not-on-vengeance-mission-lawyer-says.html

Austria Clears Way for Sanader Extradition

balkan insight
12 JUL 2011 / 15:59

Austrian Minister of Justice Beatrix Karl has signed the extradition papers for ex-Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, completing the paperwork for his return to Croatia.

Croatian Times

It is now up to Croatia to arrange for Sanader’s transportation, according to the daily Jutarnji List. He is expected back in the country within 14 days....more....

read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/karl-clears-way-for-sanader-extradition

Albania Ex-Deputy PM to Face Corruption Trial

balkan insight
12 JUL 2011 / 15:33

The case against former deputy prime minister Ilir Meta survived a procedural challenge in the Supreme Court; however prosecutors warn that the judges’ intermediate ruling has sent the trial into unchartered territory.

Besar Likmeta Tirana
The Supreme Court rejected on Monday an appeal from Meta’s lawyers to dismiss the cases on the grounds that the probe against the former deputy prime minister had started while he still enjoyed political immunity from prosecution. ...more....
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/albania-ex-deputy-pm-to-face-corruption-trial

Croatian General Kruljac Held in Detention

balkan insight
11 JUL 2011 / 16:13

General Mladen Kruljac, commander of the Croatian Land Forces, was fired on Sunday by President Ivo Josipovic.

daily.tportal.hr

The dismissal came in the wake of Kruljac’s arrest on Friday for suspected embezzlement.
Kruljac is currently in detention with five other suspects who were allegedly involved in an unlawful land sale and purchase scheme in the eastern municipality of Sibinj. ...more...
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/croatian-general-kruljac-held-in-detention

Corruption remains a challenge for Kosovo

se times
12/07/2011

Lack of political will and legislation has made the fight against corruption elusive.
By Muhamet Brajshori for Southeast European Times in Pristina -- 12/07/11
Reactions have not waned following the release of Transparency International's report released at the end of June, which stated that Kosovo lacks political will to fight corruption.

The report -- Comparative Indicator-based Monitoring of Anti-corruption Progress Initiative (CIMAP) -- is based on EU governance and anti-corruption membership requirements for Albania, Macedonia, Turkey, and Kosovo....more...
read more: se times
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2011/07/12/feature-04

Croatian army commander removed from post

xinhua news
English.news.cn 2011-07-10 22:34:01
ZAGREB, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Croatian President Ivo Josipovic has decided to remove Lieutenant General Mladen Kruljac from the duty of the country's army commander, the Presidential Office said on Sunday.
"President and Armed Forces' Supreme Commander Ivo Josipovic has decided to remove General Mladen Kruljac from the duty of Army Commander" following the proposal by the armed forces' chief-of-staff and the agreement by the defence minister, said a statement from Presidential Office....more...
read more: xinhua news
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-07/10/c_13976734.htm

Croatian leader to be extradited from Austria on corruption charges

telegraph.co.uk
CROATIA
An Austrian court approved measures to extradite Ivo Sanader, the former Croatian prime minister, back to his home country to face corruption charges.

by Our Foreign Staff 1:32PM BST 11 Jul 2011

Sanader was arrested while driving on an Austrian highway on December 10, a day after the Croatian parliament lifted his immunity from prosecution. In May, an Austrian court ruled Sanader could be extradited to Croatia.
"The dossier arrived today and has been signed by the minister," Salzburg court spokesman Imre Juhasz said....more...
read more: telegraph.co.uk
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/croatia/8630226/Croatian-leader-to-be-extradited-from-Austria-on-corruption-charges.html

Prosecution not investigating money origin

blic online
NOBODY TO CHECK MILLIONS WORTH BAILS

Boris Vuković Moma Ilić

08. 07. 2011. - 00:02h
Foto: FoNet
Comments 0
Former director of ‘Serbia Railways’ Milanko Sarancic has been released on bail worth EUR 710,000. Thus he shall defend himself from freedom in a court trial in which he has been charged to have caused damage to ‘Serbia Railways’ of 1.2 million Dinars. The origin of the money paid for the bail is not known! He spent four years at ‘Serbia Railways’ and his salary was from 140,000 to 200,000 Dinars. The prosecution has not investigated origin of any of the so far paid bails....more...
read more: blic online
http://english.blic.rs/In-Focus/7818/Prosecution-not-investigating-money-origin

Milan Beko: Government enemy No. 1

balkan insight
06 JUL 2011 / 10:23

Serbian businessman Milan Beko has opened a new phase of relations between tycoons and the state authorities by expressing his readiness to sell one of his assets to the government and announcing that he is considering leaving the country.

Slobodan Georgijev Belgrade Belgrade Insight...more...
read more: balkan insgiht
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/milan-beko-government-enemy-no-1

Montenegro Mulls Curbing Officials' Enrichment

balkan insight
05 JUL 2011 / 14:12

Montenegro's Ministry of Justice has decided to include "unjust enrichment of public officials" into the existing criminal code.

Directors of police, tax and customs administration are trying to find a mechanism which would make their staff reveal their assets and prove how they had obtained wealth beyond their regular income. ...more....
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/montenegro-mulls-curbing-officials-enrichment

Albania Election Commissioners Jailed for Fraud

balkan insight
05 JUL 2011 / 08:37

Court jails five former commissioners for having falsified votes in the 2009 general election.

Besar Likmeta Tirana

Five election commissioners from the ruling Democratic Party in the 2009 parliamentary elections in the village of Ruzhdie in Southern Albania, were sentenced to seven months’ prison each and fined 450,000 lek (€3,190) on Monday for election fraud. ...more....
read more: balkan insigth
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/albania-poll-commissioners-sentenced-to-prison

Is RECOM collapsing?

se times
02/07/2011

RECOM leader Natasa Kandic says she will stay the course on war crimes amid claims of corruption and misuse of funds.
By Ljiljana Kovacevic for Southeast European Times in Banja Luka -- 02/07/11
Bosnian media reports that Humanitarian Law Centre (HLC) Director Natasa Kandic resigned from RECOM after spending 2.5m euros without being accountable to donors, has caused a stir....more...

read more: se times
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2011/07/02/feature-02

Bosnian Croat Leader Faces New Charges

balkan insight
01 JUL 2011 / 11:44

In new twist to a long-running legal saga, after Mostar court dismisses one indictment against Dragan Covic, Sarajevo Canton charges him with abuse of power in another.

Eldin Hadzovic Sarajevo
Only two days ago, Bosnian Croat leader Dragan Covic, head of the Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, was acquitted of all charges in a marathon process before the cantonal court in Mostar....more....
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/new-criminal-charges-against-bosnian-croat-leader

Montenegro passes SEECP baton to Serbia

se times
01/07/2011

Serbia listed the fight against organised crime and corruption as one of the top priorities of its one-year term at the helm of the 12-nation regional initiative.
(Tanjug, Beta, B92, Emg.rs, Radio Srbija, MIA, ANA-MPA, Actualno.com, Banker, Dnevnik.bg - 30/06/11; Zaman - 29/06/11)
The heads of state and government of the South-East European Co-operation Process (SEECP) congratulated Croatia on the successful completion of its accession talks with the EU during a meeting in Montenegro, on Thursday (June 30th)....more...
read more: se times
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2011/07/01/feature-03