Who Opened the Door for Šincek in Lika?
The purchase of a silo in Gospić raises questions about the network of contacts that allowed the businessman to enter Lika, with key links leading to Paško Dodić and Marijan Kustić.
The purchase of a silo in Gospić raises questions about the network of contacts that allowed the businessman to enter Lika, with key links leading to Paško Dodić and Marijan Kustić.
The story of Josip Šincek, the businessman who bought a large silo in Gospić, is hard to reduce to a chance encounter with an advertisement. Large real estate transactions and dealings with state institutions do not happen overnight, so the question arises as to who enabled his entry into Lika and with whom he spoke before the purchase.
In the same period, businessman Paško Dodić demonstrated a remarkable ability to deliver large projects in the wider Plitvice and Lika area. In May 2021, work began on the Plitvice Mall in Čatrnja near Rakovica, and by December of that same year, the shopping center, boasting nearly 4,000 square meters of retail space, was opened. Dodić presented himself publicly as someone representing the interests of investors.
At the opening, the then-mayor of Rakovica praised the project, highlighting that it would create more than 90 jobs. This venture involved land acquisition, design, permits, infrastructure, and securing major retail chains before the doors even opened.
Dodić's interests did not stop at the Mall. Subsequently, he emerged as the organizer of a project for a settlement consisting of 35 plots in Rakovičko Selište, where many well-known and influential individuals gathered. According to information from Teleskop, Dodić clearly knew how the system worked, had connections, and could rapidly execute large projects in the area.
According to previously published information, Dodić also appears within Šincek's circle of relationships. His wife, Franciska Dodić, had a business collaboration with Monika Šincek through the company Izoxeco. It has also been publicly stated that it was Paško Dodić who introduced Josip Šincek to the then-Chief State Inspector, Andrija Mikulić.
Therefore, the question is no longer just about what Šincek did after purchasing the silo, but also about how he came to the project in the first place. Who first informed him about the complex, when did negotiations begin, and did he seek financing before the official sale?
Marijan Kustić adds another dimension. According to Teleskop's information, Paško Dodić and Kustić were on quite good terms during that period. One of the more interesting connections between the two goes through Zdravko Mamić and Croatian football.
In 2021, Kustić was not just an ordinary local HDZ member. He was at the helm of the HDZ in Lika-Senj County, and on June 15 of that year, he also became the President of the County Assembly. Thus, he was among the most politically powerful figures in Lika precisely during the period when major private projects were underway in the area and when Josip Šincek became involved in the Gospić silo deal.
Just a few weeks after Kustić took the top position in the County Assembly, the final phase of Šincek's entry into the Gospić complex unfolded. All of this, in itself, does not prove that Kustić was involved in Šincek's business or that Dodić acted as an intermediary.
However, the convergence of political power, personal connections, significant investments, and nearly simultaneous business moves justifies a question that almost no one has asked so far: Did Šincek really stumble upon the silo advertisement by chance, or was his arrival the result of a much broader network of acquaintances, recommendations, and prior conversations?
