The daughter of Croatia's first president and independence leader pleaded not guilty today to charges of graft and corruption. Ms Nevenka Tudjmanm (50), whose father was the late Franjo Tudjman, appeared in the Zagreb county court at the start of her trial, which has been postponed several times, state television said.
Ms Tudjman is charged with using her name to secure lucrative jobs for business associates.
According to her indictment, through Ms Tudjman's alleged mediation one associate was put in charge of overseeing tenders for supplies of telecommunications equipment.
The associate awarded jobs to two Western telecoms suppliers for fees totalling 10 million kuna ($1.55 million), it said. The scheme brought Ms Tudjman a 1.7 million kuna gain, according to her indictment.