A Zagreb court issued the first verdict in the EU-funds case involving Croatia's Ministry of Culture and the Faculty of Geodesy: ten defendants pleaded guilty and 19, including a former deputy minister, remain on trial.
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On 7 July 2026 the County Court in Zagreb delivered a first verdict against ten defendants, following a December 2025 indictment by the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) against 29 individuals and one company. According to the EPPO, the case concerns an alleged scheme to steer 27 procurement procedures for four EU-funded projects worth nearly EUR 6 million, with estimated damage of EUR 2.8 million including EUR 1.2 million to the EU budget. The ten pleaded guilty in a plea bargain; three received prison terms of five to 11 months converted to community service and seven received suspended sentences. Proceedings against the remaining 19 defendants, including a former deputy minister of Culture and Media, a former dean and a former professor, are ongoing; all are presumed innocent.
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