Six months after the investigation was launched, there is still no decision whether Modrić will be tried.
Six months have passed since footballer Luka Modrić testified at the trial against Croatian football boos Zdravko Mamić and his brother in Osijek and, according to claims of the prosecution, changed his statements given earlier during the investigation. The court hearing in question took place on 13 June, and just six days later the Croatian football international turned from a witness to a suspect for allegedly giving false testimony under oath, reports Večernji List on December 15, 2017.
It is still not clear whether he will eventually end up as a defendant on trial or whether, as he said, he will prove his innocence. The criminal investigation is still ongoing, and the County State Attorney’s Office, which took over the case from their colleagues at the Municipal Attorney’s Office, has refused to comment, since the proceedings are confidential.
“The person is a subject of investigative actions. We have interviewed the suspect and witnesses, and we are collecting relevant legal documentation. This part of the investigation will end when the actions taken under the Law on Criminal Procedure are completed and when the state of affairs is sufficiently clarified that a decision can be made,” said Zvonko Kuharić, the spokesperson of the County State Attorney’s Office in Osijek.
Under Croatian law, perjury under oath is a criminal offence punishable by up to five years in prison. There is no deadline when this part of the investigation must end. In theory, it can last until the statute of limitations expires.
According to unofficial information, it is quite possible that the State Attorney’s Office is waiting to see how the trial against the Mamić brothers will develop. They have been accused of taking at least 116 million kunas from Dinamo Football Club, together with other defendants. These two cases are closely related and, as long as the trial lasts, it is possible for any witness to withdraw or change their testimony.
Modrić is suspected of misrepresenting the date when he signed an annexe to his professional football contract with Dinamo, under which he received half of Dinamo’s transfer fee when he left the club and moved to Tottenham. He claims that he signed the annex in 2004, when he came to Dinamo, while the State Attorney’s Office says he signed in when he was leaving to enable the club to pay him the addition sum which he then allegedly gave to Mamić. During pre-trial investigation, Modrić confirmed that he signed the annexe later, but changed his story at the trial, where he suddenly could not remember anything.
Translated from Večernji List.
