Balkans corruption cases: Trivić’s “10 million” claim in Bosnia and Lukić’s Medikol award in Croatia

Jelena Trivić, president of the nationalist Narodni front in Republika Srpska, announced that court rulings have declared the “10 million” allegations a proven defamation. She said the judgments confirm that the story was fabricated with foreign backing, accusing undisclosed external agents of financing opposition to the RS government and referencing past contacts between Milorad Dodik and international officials.

In Croatia, journalist Slavica Lukić received the Vesna Kesić award for a series of investigative reports that uncovered the Medikol scandal. Her work highlighted that the private clinic had been paid roughly €200 million by the national health insurance fund for PET‑CT scans over two decades, a sum that could have equipped public hospitals. Lukić’s reporting has drawn attention to the persistent diversion of public health funds to private providers.

Both cases illustrate ongoing concerns over the misuse of public money and alleged foreign influence in the Balkans, prompting calls for greater transparency and accountability.