The commander of the Croatian Land Forces, General Mladen Kruljac, and four other people arrested on Friday over alleged land wrongdoing spent the night in custody in the eastern city of Osijek and will be questioned by the Osijek branch of the Office for the Suppression of Corruption and Organised Crime (USKOK) on Saturday, their attorneys said on Friday night.
Kruljac's attorney Marko Dumancic said his client would be questioned over suspicion of abuse of office and that he would present his defence.
Kruljac, arrested in Zagreb in the morning, was brought to the Osijek-Baranja County police around 6 pm.
According to unofficial information, the other four people arrested on suspicion of abuse of office or aiding and abetting the abuse are entrepreneur Ivan Rimac; the leader of the Croatian Democratic Union party's Brod-Posavina County branch, Zdravko Sockovic; Sibinj municipal head Ivica Batinic and former councilman Ivan Miskovic.
Miskovic's attorney Zdravko Dumancic told Hina the suspects were interviewed by police but not formally questioned and that the attorneys could not learn any details, as this was a case within USKOK's remit and therefore confidential.
If an investigation will be launched and investigative detention requested will be known after Saturday's questioning at USKOK.
During the day, police searched Kruljac's house in Zagreb, the Land Forces Command offices in Karlovac, and his house in Slavonski Brod.
USKOK was unavailable for official information on the case.
Some media reported that Kruljac was arrested on suspicion of wrongdoing involving some 27 hectares of land in Sibinj municipality near Slavonski Brod.
