Former administrative advisor accused of abuse of office and authority in the legalization of real estate in Velika Gorica, USKOK initiates proceedings

Charges against the former administrative advisor from Velika Gorica relate to a series of abuses of position and authority concerning the legalization of real estate. USKOK has detailed in its indictment how the defendant exploited his position in the Administrative Department for Spatial Planning and Construction of the City of Velika Gorica to enable applicants to retroactively submit requests for decisions on the completed state, despite the statutory deadline having expired on June 30, 2013.

According to the indictment, the accused abused data from one applicant whose request for a decision was submitted on time but was not resolved. Exploiting this situation, without the knowledge and consent of the applicant, the defendant submitted statements with false signatures on several occasions, extending the request to other applicants who missed the statutory deadline. In 13 instances, such false statements were submitted to the City Office for Spatial Planning and Construction of the City of Zagreb, enabling the illegal initiation of administrative procedures for decisions on the completed state for the buildings of other applicants.

This case, according to USKOK, is not just an issue of administrative abuse but also a serious example of undermining the integrity of the building legalization process in Croatia. The legalization of real estate depends on adhering to statutory deadlines and the accuracy of request submissions, and such abuses open the door to illegal legalization and undermine the spatial planning system.

According to further investigations, the defendant, using this scheme, enabled numerous applicants to obtain necessary permits, even though they did not have the legal right to do so. The proceedings that took place from February to December 2016, as stated in the indictment, are now under special scrutiny by the competent authorities, and it is expected that the criminal proceedings against the defendant will be severe considering the gravity of the charges.

The public is closely following this case, especially as it concerns a person in a position responsible for implementing legal regulations related to spatial planning. Penalties for abuse of position in such cases can be very serious, which could serve as an important message about the need for transparency and integrity in the work of public officials.

The continuation of the court process is expected soon, and further developments will reveal whether the accused advisor acted alone or if other members of the management were also involved in these illegal actions.