Here's what the mayor suspects, and what's at stake is an entrepreneur, a businessman worth millions...

A total of ten individuals have been sentenced in connection with the so-called "Geodesy" case, following their plea deals at the Zagreb County Court on Tuesday. These plea agreements were reached with the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Zagreb and resulted in reduced penalties for the accused, which became final after they waived their right to appeal. According to court records, three of the convicted individuals received prison terms ranging from five to 11 months, but these were converted into community service as part of the agreement. In addition to this, some of the defendants also faced secondary financial penalties totaling €147,000. The remaining seven individuals received conditional prison sentences, while five others were ordered to pay additional fines amounting up to €20,000 each. A spokesperson for EPPO stated that the judgments have now become final, and legal proceedings continue against the other accused. EPPO had filed charges in early December 2025 against 29 individuals linked to the "Geodesy" affair, including former deputy minister of culture Davor Trupković and former dean of the Faculty of Geodesy, Almin Đapo. According to the indictment, the accused are charged with abuse of position and authority, corruption, illegal favoritism, forgery of official documents, money laundering, and other related offenses. The alleged damage caused by these actions is estimated at €2.8 million. The investigation revealed that between May 2019 and November 2023, former dean Đapo and former professor Boško Pribičević organized 27 procurement procedures linked to four projects involving the Faculty of Geodesy. These projects totaled €5,988,300, with 85 percent funded by Union resources. It was further established that the accused manipulated procurement processes to ensure certain companies would be selected, with portions of the paid funds being returned to them or used for private expenses as directed. Other accused individuals were charged with submitting false or inflated tenders to secure contracts for favored companies. Former dean Đapo and former professor Pribičević were also accused of using project funds to purchase two vehicles for personal use and a motorboat intended for nautical tourism rather than project-related activities. In addition, the accused are said to have submitted false travel expense claims and daily allowances for themselves and nine members of research teams and professional collaborators, falsely claiming expenses for trips that were never undertaken. Former deputy minister of culture and media Trupković faces charges related to his role as head of a team tasked with documenting damages from two earthquakes in March and December 2020. It is suspected he arranged with then-dean Đapo to assign the documentation work to the Faculty of Geodesy despite knowing the faculty lacked the necessary capacity and that the task would require hiring a company controlled by the dean and professor. Evidence suggests that Trupković approved reports without proper verification, including reports falsely stating that filming was completed or referring to buildings for which the work had already been paid. As a result, the ministry was presented with invoices containing unjustified price increases. Based on three such reports, the Ministry of Culture and Media paid the Faculty of Geodesy more than €2.5 million. Approximately €800,000 was initially paid from the European Union Solidarity Fund (FSEU), but since the appropriate public procurement procedure was not followed, the state budget ended up bearing the cost of that amount. Meanwhile, separate investigations are ongoing in the town of Bujak regarding allegations of corruption involving its mayor, Fabrizio Vizzini. According to unconfirmed reports, investigators suspect Vizzini of abusing his position and accepting bribes, primarily in relation to his dealings with businessman Mersudin Keranović, director of construction firm Metior Gradnja. It is alleged that Vizzini allowed Keranović's company to win construction contracts from the city outside of legally mandated procurement procedures and that the company repeatedly charged for the same work multiple times. The value of these contracts is close to €4 million, with the company allegedly illegally profiting over €1 million from overcharging or double-billing. As compensation, Vizzini reportedly requested Keranović to make payments to several individuals connected to him, leading to accusations of bribery. These payments, though individually small, totaled around €20,000 overall. Additionally, Vizzini is suspected of entering a contract for translation services from Italian with former deputy mayor Jelena Perossa, who is believed to have illicitly earned about €40,000 from the city for these services. Perossa is also under suspicion of favoring two Slovenian citizens in land sales or lease competitions in Bujak, similar to earlier cases involving the acquisition of land belonging to singer Mile Kekin. However, in this instance, it is believed that Perossa received bribes from the Slovenians for providing these favors. Investigators are currently examining the evidence and will soon decide on the next steps in the case, with updates to follow.