Croatia detains 12 in probe into key shipyard wrongdoings

Croatian police say they have detained 12 people suspected of multiple criminal actions in a shipbuilding company that has been struggling with losses.

Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic on Tuesday told the state-run Hina news agency the suspected wrongdoings cost the Uljanik company and the state budget more than $150 million.

He gave no other details.

Partly-owned by the state, Uljanik has faced workers' strikes over unpaid salaries and poor business results. The group runs two major shipyards in the north Adriatic ports of Pula and Rijeka, employing several thousand workers.

Croatian media say former top managers are among the detained. They say around 100 policemen took part in the search of the suspects' offices and houses.