Two former executives of the HAC motorway operator, Jurica Prskalo and Marijo Lovrincevic, will be remanded in custody for 30 days, on suspicion of defrauding this state-run company of HRK 50 million, according to a decision made by Zagreb County Court judge Jadranka Mandusic on Friday.
Prskalo, a former chairman of the HAC management board, and Lovrincevic, a former management member, were arrested on Thursday and taken into custody on suspicion of involvement in malfeasance in the construction of the Ploce section of the Zagreb-Split-Dubrovnik motorway.
The two suspects reportedly dismissed all charges when questioned by judge Mandusic.
The 30-day detention was set in order to prevent them from tampering with a score of witnesses who are to be interviewed.
Prskalo and Lovrincevic were detained in investigative custody in early 2010, as they are two of several suspects believed to have enabled the privately-owned Skladgradnja to get a contract from HAC to paint the Sveti Rok and Mala Kapela tunnels at a price several times higher than the market price for such works, whereby HAC was defrauded of HRK 22 million.
Prskalo is also one of several people suspected of fixing tenders for the private Fimi Media company and syphoning more than HRK 26 million from the national motorway operator.
Prskalo spent several months in custody in connection with those cases.
