Former Mayor on Trial for Misusing Funds; Key Witness Denies Attendance at Alleged Private Dinners

The trial of Vinko Zulim, former HDZ mayor of Seget, continues to unfold, with allegations of significant misuse of municipal funds for personal entertainment. The core of the prosecution's case by USKOK centers on approximately 41,000 euros allegedly spent on private lunches and dinners during 2017 and 2018, with the expenses falsely justified through representation invoices. These invoices reportedly cited meetings with local officials, judges, and firefighters, masking the true nature of the expenditures.

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On the invoices that accompanied the bills, it was stated that they were for representation costs on the occasion of various holidays, municipal meetings, meetings with individual judges of the Split courts, meetings with firefighters...

Key testimony came from Zlatko Ževrnja, the former HDZ prefect of Split-Dalmatia County, who was called to testify regarding his alleged presence at one of the disputed restaurant gatherings. Ževrnja, however, firmly denied attending a specific dinner on May 28, 2017, at the restaurant Barba Boro, which is central to the charges. He clarified that while he made official visits to Seget, these did not involve socializing at restaurants, and often his colleagues represented him due to his demanding schedule. This denial directly challenges the prosecution's claim that Zulim was entertaining the prefect at the municipality's expense.

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My official visits to Seget can be seen in the prefect's schedule of obligations. I visited cities and municipalities, but we did not socialize in restaurants. I often sent my colleagues because I couldn't visit all these places myself.

The court faces the task of verifying Zulim's claims against witness testimonies and financial records. The discrepancy in dates is crucial, especially since the current HDZ prefect, Blaženko Boban, only assumed office in June 2017, after the date of the disputed invoice. Further complicating matters, the former head of Seget's accounting department, Ivka Marić, testified somewhat confusedly, stating she processed payments only after approval from Zulim and his associate. While acknowledging attending lunches for various occasions, she was unsure about spending limits for such events, though she maintained that the representation budget was not exceeded and that an audit found no issues. Another witness, Ankica Rogulj, confirmed that lunches were organized at Zulim's initiative for discussing municipal issues, but also for holiday celebrations.

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I was at lunches on various occasions like holidays or the prefect's visits. But I don't know if the municipality had a limit on the amount that could be spent on lunch. I know there was an amount allocated for representation in the budget and it was never exceeded.