Dragan Kovačević, a former director of Janaf, is set to face trial at the Zagreb County Court on November 24 for charges of bribery and arranging deals in a state-owned company. The trial comes three years after Kovačević was arrested in the Janaf scandal, which also involved other individuals including entrepreneurs Krešo Petek and Edo Seifried, Ivan Širić, Vatroslav Sablić, and two former employees of Janaf.

In the indictment against Kovačević, it is alleged that he received over €1 million in exchange for arranging jobs worth nearly €65 million for Petek’s company. Additionally, he is accused of receiving two apartments from an entrepreneur whose companies he arranged deals worth millions of dollars. Dozens of witnesses are expected to testify during the trial regarding deals worth €100 million.

Kovačević and Petek are also implicated in a second part of the Janaf affair involving Elektrocentra Petek. A new investigation was launched against them by Uskok, who suspected Kovačević of taking money from Petek in exchange for arranging jobs in Janaf and Petek of buying clothes for Kovačević and his family and friends.

In a statement before the indictment panel, Kovačević denied any wrongdoing and called for a quick and fair trial. He attempted to use legal avenues to save his substantial assets but was unsuccessful. His assets were frozen by Uskok prior to the amendment of the Criminal Procedure Code in June 2022. Despite this amendment counting the asset freezing period until the indictment is filed, it remains uncertain what will happen to Kovačević’s assets in the future.