“Railway chiefs planned EUR 3mn scam”

Former Croatian and Serbian railway bosses Davorin Kobak and Milanko Sarancic planned to embezzle EUR 3mn, says Croatian daily Jutarnji List. Kobak, former president of Croatian Railways, and sacked Serbian Railways boss Sarancic planned to embezzle EUR 3mn in a complex operation to repay Serbian Railway debts to Croatian Railways, according to Drago Hedl, a Jutarnji List journalist, who worked together with B92 on the story. “Railway chiefs planned EUR 3mn scam” Kobak and Sarancic discussed the scheme several times, and several middlemen participated in planning the operation, writes the Croatian daily. According to Jutarnji List, the story began in May 2007, during a meeting in Zagreb about a freight contract between Turkish and Austrian terminals, initiated by Turkish Railways. Serbian Railways was interested in the job, but the Croatian side set the condition of settling the Serbian company’s debt. Kobak and Sarancic agreed to find a model to extract a “profit” of EUR 3mn from the repayment of debts to Croatian Railways, which would then be transferred to an offshore account with the Financial Angels company in the U.S. state of Delaware. Serbian and Croatian police have copious information on the scheme. The details were, according to police findings in both countries, ironed out at a meeting in Munich at the end of 2007. The operation fell through because the Croatian government failed to approve Croatian Railways’ planned method of closing Serbian Railways’ debt. Sarancic, who was fired three months before Kobak, is linked to a string of scandals. According to the Croatian daily, Serbian and Croatian police have dossiers about the operation plans, the identity of the main actors, and where they met. Kobac and Sarancic were “collateral victims” earlier of a police operation entitled “Memphis”, which saw the arrest of Anton Stanaj at Belgrade’s Surcin airport in the middle of 2007. Stanaj, the owner of the Roksped company, is widely believed to be the kingpin of an international cigarette smuggling ring. Today's Jutarnji List

“Railway chiefs planned EUR 3mn scam”

Kobak and Šarančić discussed the scheme several times, and several middlemen participated in planning the operation, writes the Croatian daily.

According to Jutarnji List, the story began in May 2007, during a meeting in Zagreb about a freight contract between Turkish and Austrian terminals, initiated by Turkish Railways.

Serbian Railways was interested in the job, but the Croatian side set the condition of settling the Serbian company’s debt.

Kobak and Šarančić agreed to find a model to extract a “profit” of EUR 3mn from the repayment of debts to Croatian Railways, which would then be transferred to an offshore account with the Financial Angels company in the U.S. state of Delaware.

Serbian and Croatian police have copious information on the scheme. The details were, according to police findings in both countries, ironed out at a meeting in Munich at the end of 2007.

The operation fell through because the Croatian government failed to approve Croatian Railways’ planned method of closing Serbian Railways’ debt.

Šarančić, who was fired three months before Kobak, is linked to a string of scandals.

According to the Croatian daily, Serbian and Croatian police have dossiers about the operation plans, the identity of the main actors, and where they met.

Kobac and Šarančić were “collateral victims” earlier of a police operation entitled “Memphis”, which saw the arrest of Anton Stanaj at Belgrade’s Surčin airport in the middle of 2007. Stanaj, the owner of the Rokšped company, is widely believed to be the kingpin of an international cigarette smuggling ring.