On Thursday, November 23, Božidar Kalmeta, a former HDZ minister, will stand trial at Zagreb County Court in relation to the Fimi media affair and the HAC-Remorker affair. The court was ordered to retry him after his previous acquittal was deemed illegal by the Supreme Court last year.
According to the prosecution, Kalmeta shared large sums of money with his associates from road maintenance and construction companies. However, unlike claims made in the indictment, the prosecutor has argued that Kalmeta did not organize a group to extract money. Two of his associates were previously sentenced in this case.
The remorker affair also involved individuals who admitted to wrongdoing at HAC. Other individuals accused along with Kalmeta were found not guilty as well, although the prosecution appealed the decision in the Supreme Court.
Kalmeta has denied any involvement in wrongdoing and labeled himself a victim of political persecution. He argues that admitting guilt under the law is not equated with actual criminal wrongdoing.