Croatia ex-international Simic held in graft case

Former Croatian international footballer Dario Simic was arrested Tuesday in an anti-corruption operation linked to a coastal campsite development, local media and his lawyer said.

Simic was held in the capital, Zagreb for allegedly illegally obtaining a permit to create a campsite on the country's central coast, the state-run HINA news agency reported, citing unnamed sources.

But his lawyer Ivan Stanic told media the charges were unfounded, and his client had always acted "honestly and with integrity".

"Simic does not feel guilty because he has never committed any unlawful act," Stanic said.

The lawyer declined to elaborate on the allegations against Simic and stressed there were no grounds that he be remanded in custody.

Neither police nor the anti-graft prosecutors have confirmed the arrest, while local media published photographs of Simic in handcuffs exiting a police vehicle.

Two more people were taken into custody along with the 50-year-old Simic, according to HINA.

They include a former regional tourism official accused of helping Simic obtain the required campsite permits and a local businessman who allegedly acted as an intermediary.

In 2024, local authorities in Tisno, where the campsite is located, filed complaints against Simic over alleged illegal construction in a protected coastal zone.

The case concerns a small private campsite with 10 pitches for up to 30 people, according to media reports.

The former tourism official and four others were charged last year with allegedly issuing unlawful campsite permits.

Simic retired from international football in 2008 after becoming the first Croatian to earn 100 caps for his country.

A defender, Simic entered club football with his hometown club Dinamo Zagreb in 1992 and played his first international four years later, before going on to play a key role as Croatia took third place at the 1998 World Cup.

After six seasons at Dinamo he joined Inter Milan, later moving on to city rivals AC Milan, where he won one Serie A and two Champions league trophies before joining Monaco in 2008.

Simic returned to Dinamo two years later shortly before retiring.

He has since started a prominent bottled water company, which is stocked throughout the region.

ljv/al/dmc

© Agence France-Presse