Croatian Ex-MP and Son Face Charges Over 1.3 Million Fake COVID Tests

The district prosecutor's office in Varaždin, northern Croatia, has formally charged a father and son with orchestrating the production of over 1.3 million counterfeit COVID-19 tests in Turkey and their subsequent importation into Croatia for distribution across several European countries. The case has been submitted to the Municipal Court in Varaždin.

The defendants are a 66-year-old former Croatian MP from the ruling CDU party, Filip Mihalic, and his 26-year-old son, Anjelko Mihalic, publicly known as the "Corona Kid." While the prosecutor’s office did not release their names in the official announcement, Croatian media have identified them.

According to the indictment, the duo organized the manufacture of the fake tests at a factory in Istanbul between August 2022 and May 2023. The tests, designed to imitate legitimate products, were imported into Croatia and sold through their company to clients in Croatia, Greece, Romania, Austria, Spain, and Germany. The operation generated profits of 445,932.35 euros (approximately 872,000 BGN).

The younger Mihalic faces charges of counterfeiting medical products and money laundering, while his father is accused solely of counterfeiting medical products. Prosecutors allege that between January and November 2023, Anjelko Mihalic withdrew and transferred the illicit profits into his personal accounts and deposited the funds in a bank to conceal their origin.

Authorities are seeking to confiscate the full sum of 445,932.35 euros as illegally obtained assets from the pair.