One of Zadar’s most powerful businessmen, dubbed the “king fish of the Adriatic”, was detained Tuesday morning on suspicion of corruption.

Reno Sinovcic, president of local football club NK Zadar and owner of Croatian TV agency Vox, was arrested along with others – five of whom were reported in the media to be tax officials. He was detained overnight and questioned.

A statement released by USKOK, Croatia’s anti-corruption agency, confirmed a probe into eight Croatian citizens and one company on suspicion of abuse of office, business fraud, and causing bankruptcy. The release refers to the non-payment of overdue taxes, a scheme involving the use of non-existent loans, and evidence of “unlawful material gain” linked to NK Zadar.

The official statement does not give Sinovcic’s name, as is their custom, but his lawyer Andrew Korljan confirmed his arrest. Korljan said in a statement filmed by 24Sata that the allegations against his client were untrue.

Sinovcic is an independent member of Zadar’s city council. He has maintained close relations with the centre-right Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) as well as Zadar’s mayor Rozidar Kalmeta, who refused to comment on the arrest.

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