Croatian singer behind bars: scandal for luxury villa in Istria!

Croatian singer behind bars: scandal for luxury villa in Istria!

Momjan, Kroatien - The former front man of the Croatian band "Hladno Pivo", Mile Kekin, was recently arrested by the security forces in Istria. His detention is related to dubious property transactions, which are currently the subject of extensive investigations. These focus in particular on a property in Momjan, which he has together with his wife Ivana Kekin. Ivana, who works as a parliamentarian for the Mozemo political platform and has been a presidential candidate in the past, is also faced with the allegations.

The Kekin family previously criticized due to a luxurious holiday accommodation in Momjan. The property "Volare e Cantare" has 130 square meters of living space, a heated swimming pool and is rented for prices between 300 and 500 euros per night. Experts appreciate the market value of the villa and the associated property at around 400,000 euros. It is interesting that the couple acquired the 2018 property for only 25,000 Kuna (approx. 3,300 euros) from the city administration of Buje, which raised speculation about possible preferred treatments.

Investigations and claims

The Državno Odvjetništvo has started the investigation into the pricing of the property. Ivana Kekin rejected any claims during a meeting with citizens in Split that she had illegally acquired the property. A public purchase contract has shown that the Kekins actually acquired the property for 25,000 Kuna. Ivana Kakins also stated that the information about the sales contract of Velimir Bujanec, a convicted cocaine dealer, came and called for transparency about the matter to show that everything had expired properly.

The investigators also searched the singer's house to collect further information. Kekin himself was born in Germany, but currently lives in Zagreb, where he works as a teacher for German and English.

political context in Croatia

The arrest of Kekin is against the background of a political climate in Croatia that is characterized by corruption affairs. Prime Minister Andrej Plenković has exchanged more than 30 ministers since 2021, which is a record. Many ministers had to withdraw from their offices due to corruption. Darko Horvat was, for example, the first minister to be arrested during his term in office because he is suspected of distributing government subsidies without competition.

The European public prosecutor is investigating Gabrijela Žalac, former Minister of Regional Development, for embezzlement from EU funds. Plenković has repeatedly tried to defend his ministers to the end to avoid the impression of being under pressure from opposition or media. A new draft law, which in the future is due to the disclosure of information from investigations, is perceived by journalists as a potential risk of reporting on corruption.

In view of these circumstances and the upcoming parliamentary elections in September 2024, political tensions in Croatia seem to rise further. Surveys indicate that Plenković and his party HDZ could have great opportunities for an election victory.