Croatia foreign ministry searched over alleged misuse of funds
ZAGREB
European prosecutors said on Tuesday they and their Croatian counterparts were searching the Croatian foreign ministry as part of a probe into the alleged illegal use of funds.
The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) said it and Croatia's bureau for the fight against corruption and organised crime (USKOK) were jointly conducting "urgent evidence-collecting activities ... in an investigation into possible illegal use of funds at the ministry of foreign and European affairs".
The actions come "in the wake of a criminal investigation into possible abuse of position and authority at the ministry... involving funds from the (EU's) Internal Security Fund and the state budget of the Republic of Croatia", it added.
"After questioning suspects, the EPPO will make a decision on further action."
It said no details would be announced until then.
Croatia has long struggled to contain widespread corruption.
Committing to fighting graft was key to its successfully bid to join the European Union in 2013.
Several ministers from Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic's conservative HDZ party have stepped down amid corruption allegations since he took power in 2016.
The Luxembourg-based EPPO tackles suspected fraud involving the bloc's budget and has delegated prosecutors in each of the 27 EU member states.
