Croatia News - CroatiaPress.com

Zagreb, February 12 (CP) – A joint police and the state anti-corruption and organized crime office (USKOK) action has resulted in the arrest of 14 individuals taking bribes and issuing fake documents on PTSD and disability.

The 14 have been arrested in operations conducted on Monday in the southern city of Split and eastern town of Osijek. The two groups working separately are said to have been issuing documents that would allow individuals to claim veteran pensions, increase the current pensions and secure other veteran privileges.

Their ‘clients’ paid between €3,500 and 8,000 in bribes for the service.

Apart from the mentioned privileges, the two unrelated criminal groups also had on their list of ‘services’ securing rights to buying stocks, getting exempt from paying taxes or customs fees and granting loans at extremely favourable prices.

Although the two groups were not linked in any way, they used the same operation method. Among the 14 arrested are 6 physicians.

The operation comes as Croatia tries to step up its clamp down on corruption, a key provision in its EU membership bid.