Božidar Kalmeta, a former HDZ minister, will stand trial at Zagreb County Court on Thursday, November 23, related to two separate affairs. The first is the Fimi media affair, and the second is the HAC-Remorker affair. A retrial was ordered by the Supreme Court last year after a previous acquittal was deemed illegal.

According to the prosecution, Kalmeta shared large sums of money with his associates from road maintenance and construction companies. Two of his associates, Stjepko Boban and Damir Kezele, were previously sentenced for their roles in these affairs. However, unlike claims made in the indictment, the prosecutor has argued that Kalmeta did not organize a group to extract money. Other individuals accused along with Kalmeta were found not guilty as well.

The remorker affair also involved the former financial director of HAC and other individuals who admitted to wrongdoing. Despite this evidence, Kalmeta has denied the accusations against him and labeled himself a victim of political persecution. He argues that admitting guilt under the law is not equated with actual criminal wrongdoing.