Marko Ajček, former mayor of the Municipality of Gradina, suspected of corruption and money laundering, got a job at the Croatian Pension Insurance Institute. The Institute says it was not aware of the investigation.
Marko Ajček, a former HDZ mayor of the Municipality of Gradina, is under investigation by USKOK on suspicion of corruption and money laundering. However, despite losing the mayoral post in the 2021 local elections, he did not remain unemployed, he was hired by the Croatian Pension Insurance Institute (HZMO), the Institute confirmed for OG Portal.
HZMO said they were not aware at the time of hiring that a criminal investigation was being conducted against Ajček. "We were not aware of the proceedings," they briefly told OG Portal. This USKOK investigation against Ajček has been ongoing for some time, and USKOK charges him with corrupt acts and money laundering during his tenure as mayor of the small Virovitica-region municipality.
Ajček's mayoral mandate was marked by serious irregularities. The Municipality of Gradina failed a legality audit, and the State Audit Office gave it an unfavorable rating. After these problems, voters removed him from office in 2021, but Ajček soon found a new job in a state institution. Sources close to the investigation have not revealed details about the stage the investigation into the former mayor has reached.
While the Marko Ajček case is being investigated, USKOK on Thursday also launched an operation against former Split mayor Željko Kerum. According to N1 and Večernji list, Kerum, his nephew Igor Sapunar, and former city official Andrija Polić are suspected of illegally legalizing buildings in Kaštel Štafilić. USKOK suspects that Polić, as the official in charge of legalization, favored Kerum by enabling the legalization of structures that did not exist in the 2011 imagery. All three arrested deny guilt, and the prosecution has announced it will seek pre-trial detention for one of the suspects.
