ZAGREB, April 8, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - European prosecutors and their local counterparts searched the Croatian foreign ministry Tuesday as part of a probe into the alleged illegal use of funds, they said.

The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) said it and Croatia's bureau for the fight against corruption and organised crime (USKOK) were jointly conducting "urgent evidence-collecting activities... in an investigation into possible illegal use of funds at the ministry of foreign and European affairs".

The actions come "in the wake of a criminal investigation into possible abuse of position and authority at the ministry... involving funds from the (EU's) Internal Security Fund and the state budget of the Republic of Croatia", it added.

"After questioning suspects, the EPPO will make a decision on further action."

It said no further details would be announced until then.

The ministry said in a statement that following an internal audit it had reported to USKOK in January "irregularities related to the calculation of costs for travel orders of several employees from the (ministry's) IT support technical sector".

The investigation targets seven people, of whom five would be questioned by local prosecutors and two by their EU peers, according to the state-run HRT television.

They are suspected of forging hotel invoices and costs for cars they used for official trips abroad from 2019 to 2024, it reported.

Croatia has long struggled to contain widespread corruption.

Committing to fighting graft was key to its successful bid to join the European Union in 2013. But corruption remains endemic.

Several ministers from Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic's conservative HDZ party have stepped down amid corruption allegations since he took power in 2016.

The Luxembourg-based EPPO tackles suspected fraud involving the European Union's budget.