Croatian Mayor Claims Investigation Politically Motivated After Home Searched
Translated from Croatian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- Croatian Mayor Viktor Šimunić's parental home and office were searched by USKOK, the anti-corruption agency.
- Šimunić claims the investigation is politically motivated, citing his public statements about alleged financial irregularities in sports federations.
- He stated that his sick mother's phone was confiscated during the search, causing her distress.
Viktor Šimunić, the mayor of Oroslavje, described his experience with investigators from USKOK (the Bureau for Combating Corruption and Organized Crime) as politically motivated. Agents searched his parents' home and his office early Monday morning, seizing documents and electronic devices.
So it is clear that this is politically motivated. It bothers them when the truth is spoken, it bothers them when honest work is done.
Šimunić, who was not arrested, took to Facebook to voice his accusations. He suggested the investigation was prompted by his public criticism of alleged financial misconduct within sports federations, stating, "It bothers them when the truth is spoken, it bothers them when honest work is done." He pointed to media reports from a month prior that detailed financial irregularities and questioned the disappearance of public funds.
Adding a personal and emotional dimension to the ordeal, Šimunić tearfully recounted how investigators confiscated his sick mother's mobile phone during the search at her home. He expressed distress over the added stress this caused her, questioning the necessity of such actions against his parents.
Mama who is sick and needs to get test results from the hospital, they take her phone, create stress, what are parents guilty of?
Despite the investigation, Šimunić maintained his resolve, asserting that he could "sleep peacefully every night" and face any citizen. He emphasized that his position as mayor was granted by the people and only they could remove him. He urged the public to review his monthly reports on the city's finances, which he believes demonstrate transparent and honest governance.
I will sleep peacefully again tonight.
Originally published by Večernji List in Croatian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.