Independent councilwoman Slavica Lemaić confirmed she has filed a criminal complaint over suspicions of illegal spending of public funds on volleyball courts at Vijuš. The police have already launched an investigation.
Just hours after police officers entered the premises of the Slavonski Brod City Administration, independent councilwoman Slavica Lemaić, who also serves as vice-president of the Brod-Posavina County Assembly, faced the press on Monday, August 10, 2026. She revealed details of her criminal complaint that set off a chain of events now known as the Sand Affair.
Earlier that day, the County State Attorney's Office in Slavonski Brod confirmed it had ordered the Brod-Posavina Police Department, specifically its criminal police unit, to conduct an investigation. The aim is to verify media reports of favoritism toward certain companies during the construction of a volleyball court at Vijuš. Both the city administration and police confirmed that the veracity of claims regarding potential favoritism is being checked, and officers were reportedly still in the building with Mayor Mirko Duspara.
One of the most serious allegations Lemaić made concerns the amount the city paid for two volleyball courts. She claims the overpayment amounts to as much as €210,000. "I can say that we overpaid by some €210,000 for two volleyball courts. But that's not all. My complaint also includes other factors related to this, as there were certain pressures from the City Administration, and there are witnesses who will testify to that," Lemaić stated.
She declined to disclose details about the alleged pressures publicly, so as not to reveal the contents of the criminal complaint and hinder the work of institutions. However, she specifically highlighted suspicions of so-called procurement splitting. According to her, experts she consulted warned her that certain works may have been divided into smaller amounts to circumvent the legal obligation to conduct a proper public procurement procedure.
"I reported this. The competent institutions need to check it. From experts independent of this case, I heard that this is classic procurement splitting, if it indeed occurred. I want the institutions to confirm that," Lemaić said.
She also turned her attention to the Institution for Sports Facility Management (UZGŠO), which partially co-financed the project. Lemaić claims that certain amounts related to the project coincide with the financing of that institution, and the suspicion is deepened by the fact that the then-director of UZGŠO resigned shortly after the disputed events. "You will see that the same amount matches the Institution for Sports Facility Management, which partially co-financed the project. What is curious is that shortly after that, the director of the Institution himself resigned," she said.
At the press conference, she also raised the issue of family connections. According to her, there are family ties between the then-director of UZGŠO and a department head in the City Administration, as well as between a person connected to the company that carried out the works and an employee of the City Administration. Lemaić emphasized that the mere existence of a family relationship does not mean a crime was committed, but she believes these circumstances should certainly be investigated by the institutions.
The Sand Affair, according to what Lemaić presented, also includes a case that seemingly has nothing to do with the sand procurement. She included in her criminal complaint a situation involving a businessman connected to a portal that reported on this case. She claims that after the media reports, the businessman was issued a bill of approximately €7,000 for the use of public space adjacent to his catering establishment, even though, according to her information, he should not have had to pay that amount.
"Preventing someone from doing business is also a matter that the competent institutions need to investigate. Whether it was connected to the article by the portal of which he is a co-owner—my opinion is that it was, but let the institutions investigate that," Lemaić stated.
Lemaić revealed that she filed the criminal complaint on July 27, 2026, just two weeks before the police investigation began. The speed of the response surprised her, she said. "I really didn't expect them to be this quick. I filed the criminal complaint on July 27, and here they are today. People are doing their jobs," she concluded.
She also reminded that even before filing the complaint, she had publicly called on the competent institutions to examine all circumstances of the case. "I publicly called on the DORH, USKOK, the State Audit Office, and the police to investigate all possible circumstances related to these events, and today we are witnessing the police entering the City Administration and conducting an investigation. I will not and do not want to prejudge the results of their investigation. That is not my job," Lemaić said.
Finally, she dismissed any political motives behind her actions, emphasizing her independent status. "This has nothing to do with the HDZ. I am independent, and this is exclusively about the transparent spending of public money. Let the institutions do their job professionally, without political pressure, thoroughly and independently," she said.
She also stressed that she is not claiming criminal liability exists, but that it is up to the competent authorities to determine that. "I'm not saying there is criminal liability, but let the experts decide," Lemaić concluded. She also announced that this will not be the last complaint she files. "I must admit this is not the end. There are other suspicious actions I have identified and for which I possess documentation. I believe this will not be the only complaint; more will follow," she announced, without revealing which specific cases she was referring to.
On the other hand, the City of Slavonski Brod does not present the police investigation as an extraordinary situation. They state that the Brod-Posavina Police Department decided to check the legality of their work and emphasize that this is a procedure that has been carried out in the City Administration before. City officials, they say, will continue to cooperate with the police as they did during previous checks.
The Sand Affair has thus definitively moved beyond the realm of media stories and local political squabbles. It is now up to the police and the State Attorney's Office to determine, through their investigation, whether there is anything behind the pile of sand at Vijuš.
