The anti-corruption office USKOK has launched another investigation into Ivan Mravak, former management board chairman of the power supplier HEP, on suspicion that, together with the director of Opskrba, a company within HEP, he embezzled HRK 6.3 million from HEP.
Mravak and Mrljak are suspected of abuse of office and of conspiracy between October 2008 and September 2009 with a number of persons from two joint stock companies.
Mravak is suspected of approving, without a decision by the HEP management board, and Mrljak of ordering that bills for joint stock companies which, under a management board decision, purchased electricity at preferential prices, be further reduced by 10.99 per cent and those for delivered electricity by 5.5 per cent, whereby those companies illegally gained HRK 6.3 million.
Mravak is also suspected of giving one joint stock company in late March 2009 a HRK 15 million loan, with a 60-day repayment period and at 10.50 interest, at a time when HEP had liquidity problems. The repayment period was repeatedly extended via annexes and the loan was eventually paid on 1 October 2009.
USKOK (Office for Suppression of Corruption and Organised Crime) said police were pursuing the investigation at its order.
Mravak has been in custody since early May, when he was arrested on suspicion of embezzling some HRK 600 million from HEP together with the former head of the TLM light metal factory, Ivan Kostan. Former Economy Minister Damir Polancec is also suspected in this case.
Mravak was removed from office in HEP last September, after it was uncovered that he and another four executives damaged by the company by nearly HRK 700,000.
