The trial of former Deputy Prime Minister Damir Polancec et al. in a corruption case dubbed Spice resumed at the Zagreb County Court on Monday with a testimony by Zvonimir Majdancic, former Board chairman of the Podravka food maker.
He spoke of an option contract between the Koprivnica-based Podravka and the Fima company from Varazdin under which Podravka acquired the right to buy its own stock.
The witness said the contract was discussed at the 2008 annual assembly.
Polancec's counsel Anto Nobilo said this proved that the management had not kept the option contract secret and that the members of Podravka's assembly had known about it.
The defendants in the Spice case are accused of trying to take over Podravka with its own money. They claim they were defending it from a hostile takeover.
According to the anti-corruption office USKOK, Podravka was defrauded of HRK 400 million (approx. 53.3 million euros). The defendants are Polancec, former Podravka executives Darko Marinac, Zdravko Sestak, Josip Pavlovic and Sasa Romac, the director of the SMS company from Split, Srdjan Mladinic, Fima co-owner Milan Horvat, and attorney Zoran Markovic.
Apart from conspiracy, they are accused of abuse of office, aiding and abetting as well as inciting the abuse, and illegal brokerage.
