Laptop with 120,000 documents sparks new arrests in Croatia's biggest sports corruption scandal

A major corruption scandal, dubbed the biggest in Croatian sports history, is threatening to engulf the nation's sporting world. The investigation, which has already led to the downfall of former Croatian Ski Federation (HSS) chief Vedran Pavlek, gained new momentum with the seizure of his laptop.

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The biggest scandal in Croatian sports history – which has shaken its very foundations, initiated investigations in several federations, led to the dismissal of the head of the Croatian Olympic Committee (HOO), and ultimately led to a political promise that sports financing will be transparent in the future.

Pavlek, who fled Croatia for Turkey via Dubai and Moscow after his associates were arrested, is now reportedly in Kazakhstan and resisting extradition. His laptop, however, made it back and allegedly contains over 120,000 documents. Croatian authorities suspect these documents reveal how Pavlek, over more than a decade, allegedly embezzled around 30 million euros through the HSS without detection.

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Pavlek's laptop, which, unlike him, arrived from Turkey (where he traveled via Dubai and Moscow shortly after his co-defendants were arrested in Croatia), hides more than 120,000 documents.

The fallout from the scandal has been significant, shaking the foundations of Croatian sports. It has triggered investigations into various sports federations and led to the resignation of the head of the Croatian Olympic Committee (HOO). The case has also prompted political promises for more transparent sports financing in the future, though the article questions the feasibility of such reforms in a country where corruption is described as a way of life.

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Which allegedly show how the Croatian Ski Federation (HSS) functioned, through which, according to USKOK's suspicions, Pavlek extracted about 30 million euros over more than 10 years.