Bribery investigation

M. Cetinski refutes bribe taking allegations

09.08.2011 u 19:50

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Mirko Cetinski on Tuesday dismissed claims that he illegally mediated the sale of a land and received a HRK 2.5 million commission from the seller - "Kermas Ulaganja", owned by businessman Danko Koncar.

Commenting yesterday's police report, Cetinski said in a press release that charges against him filed by Koncar were untrue. Cetinski claims that Koncar was seeking revenge for the statements Cetinski made about him in the media.

Police said in a statement on Monday that in an ongoing investigation into wrongdoing in the sale and purchase of real estate on behalf of the firm Kermas Ulaganja, owned by Koncar, the police in the northern Adriatic city of Pula have established that the first suspect, Vinka Cetinski, and her associates have defrauded Koncar of another 2.9 million kuna, which brings the total amount defrauded to more than 63 million kuna.

Cetinski, a former manager of Kermas Ulaganja, lawyer Boris Sorgo and his son Marin, who own real estate agencies, and lawyer Zeljan Hrvatin are suspected of having defrauded Kermas Ulaganja through fraudulent deals. From 2007 to 2009, contrary to the firm's interests, the suspects were buying real estate at higher prices than those that prevailed in the area at the time and stated even higher amounts in the contracts. The difference between the stated and actual price they kept for themselves.

The police said on Monday that the investigation was expanded to include yet another suspect, a 64-year-old man.

It has been established that the new suspect, who according to unofficial reports is Cetinski's husband Mirko Cetinski, a well-known singer, in three cases of brokerage agreed on real estate purchase with parties selling real estate, after which he received from those parties around 2.5 million kuna in cash.