Croatia Ski Federation scandal expands to 50 million euros

Investigators have discovered that the scale of alleged financial irregularities within the Croatian Ski Federation is significantly larger than previously estimated. While initial probes focused on 30 million euros over 11 years, analysis of a laptop seized in Turkey belonging to former director Vedran Pavlek suggests that up to 50 million euros may have been misappropriated over a 25-year period.

Digital evidence indicates that funds were allegedly diverted through fictitious services, such as training and coaching engagements, to foreign companies. One Liechtenstein-based firm reportedly received nearly 13 million euros between 2016 and 2024. Investigators suspect that at least 8.66 million euros of these funds ended up in Pavlek’s personal accounts.

The financial surge in misappropriated funds appears to coincide with the late 1990s, when the international success of skiers Janica and Ivica Kostelić brought increased sponsorship to the Federation. While some transactions dating back to the 1990s are now barred from prosecution due to the statute of limitations, USKOK is expected to expand the investigation to cover all non-expired criminal acts since 2000.

Pavlek is currently in custody in Kazakhstan, where Croatian authorities are awaiting extradition proceedings. The investigation also involves several other individuals and entities, including a company in Liechtenstein and the estate of the late Austrian businessman Manfred Schobesberger.