Who needs private detectives at Zagreb’s water utility, and why? Dina Dogan says whistleblower platform may have been a cover

Zagreb’s water and wastewater utility has hired a private detective firm, even though it says it has not yet used the service. The contract followed a July tender valued at 25,000 euros excluding VAT, and ViO ultimately agreed to pay Comperio Lims about 17,000 euros excluding VAT.

The arrangement has drawn criticism because Zagreb Holding operates a platform called Whistleblower, designed to let employees report irregularities anonymously and without fear of retaliation. City representative Dina Dogan, from the Zagrepčanke club, connected the detective contract with that protection system.

“The Whistleblower platform was introduced precisely so employees could report irregularities without fear of retaliation. Now it seems that the platform was just a cover. Is that normal?” Dogan said.

Zagreb Holding rejected the suggestion that the detectives are being used to pursue whistleblowers. It said whistleblower protection and internal investigations are separate matters. The holding said it guarantees protection to employees who report irregularities and maintains an internal team to investigate reported incidents.

The tender documents outline a broad package of work: 120 hours for case analysis and data collection, 20 field assignments in Zagreb, 10 outside the city and up to 5,000 kilometres of travel. The contract also includes 20 written reports, 40 hours for document analysis and data preparation, and 10 hours of attendance or testimony in proceedings.

Holding officials said most investigations use internal resources, while external services may be hired when broader powers allowed under private-detective law are needed. Such services are not new within the group. Zagreb Holding also signed a 2025 contract with Sova Intelligence worth 26,540 euros excluding VAT for corporate-security consulting and legally based actions under the Private Detectives Act.

“

The Whistleblower platform was introduced precisely so employees could report irregularities without fear of retaliation. Now it seems that the platform was just a cover. Is that normal?