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Former Croatian minister convicted of misusing EU funds for luxury dinners

2025-09-02 18:30:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Former Croatian minister convicted of misusing EU funds for luxury dinners

A former Croatian minister, who had already been convicted of corruption, was handed another sentence on September 2nd for spending thousands of euros of European Union funds on luxury dinners.

Gabrijela Zalac, who was dismissed from her post as Croatia's EU funds minister in mid-2019, was sentenced to seven months in prison for abuse of office and official authority, the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) announced in a statement.

Several ministers from Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic's conservative HDZ party have resigned over corruption allegations since he took power in 2016.

According to the announcement by the EPPO, which is competent to investigate the misuse of EU funds, Zalac spent almost 10,000 euros in restaurants during at least nine occasions.

Local media reported that she used EU funds to cover the costs of celebrating her 40th birthday.

Zalac, who was first arrested in 2021, pleaded guilty to the charges and repaid the full amount.

In June, she also pleaded guilty to abuse of office and unlawful influence related to the purchase of a new IT system for the ministry she headed.

She was sentenced to two years in prison for her role in the misappropriation of more than 1.3 million euros and agreed to pay 200,000 euros in partial compensation./ REL





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