Ministers' corruption trial postponed due to lawyer's illness

The trial of four former ministers under Prime Minister Andrej Plenković was adjourned due to the unexpected illness of a key defense lawyer. The proceedings, which began in April 2026, are part of the "Po babi i stričevima" (roughly translated as "by grandmother and uncles") corruption scandal.

Boris Milošević, a former Deputy Prime Minister and one of the accused, is represented by lawyer Ante Nobilo. Nobilo informed the court that he could not attend the hearing due to illness, providing medical documentation that was verified by an expert. Consequently, the testimony of witness Danijela Žagar, who was expected to provide details on how subsidies were distributed, was postponed to August 28.

The indictment, filed in October 2022 and confirmed in March 2025, accuses former ministers Darko Horvat, Josip Aladrović, Tomislav Tolušić, and Boris Milošević. Horvat is alleged to have illegally allocated 2.6 million kuna in non-refundable funds in 2018 while serving as Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship, and Crafts, with personal interest involved. Milošević and Tolušić are accused of lobbying for companies they were interested in, while Aladrović faces charges for influencing two illegal hirings.

The legal process has been protracted, with defense teams repeatedly seeking the exclusion of evidence, a request denied twice by the Zagreb County Court but accepted once by the High Penal Court. This procedural back-and-forth has extended the case for nearly three years. Several individuals, including Ana Mandac, Velimir Žunec, and Katica Mišković, have already pleaded guilty or received conditional sentences as part of plea bargains with the State Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime and Corruption (USKOK).

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He informed the court the day before the hearing that he could not attend due to illness. He also provided medical documentation as proof of his claims, and the expert confirmed that Nobilo could not come to court due to illness.