RITAM POSLA Hrvoje Zgombić 1

Guest Hrvoje ZgombićHosted by Lidija KiseljakMay 3, 2026

Hrvoje Zgombić

About this episode

What you'll hear in this conversation

Hundreds of millions of euros are sitting unclaimed in Croatia, money legally owed to businesses that never got paid by bankrupt or pre-bankruptcy debtors. For years, this right to a VAT refund has been 'permitted by law, but in practice very difficult to achieve,' as tax expert Hrvoje Zgombić puts it — and almost impossible in insolvency cases. Zgombić, who founded Project PDV, has spent decades finding ways to make these claims stick, and now he's tackling the largest of them: the Agrokor cases, where the statute of limitations is about to expire. He explains why the state often refuses to acknowledge these claims, the multi-year legal battles that follow, and why businesses should pursue every cent, even if it means taking the fight to the European Court.

Insights from the conversation

What to take from this episode

The right to a VAT refund for unpaid invoices is 'permitted by law, but in practice very difficult to achieve,' as Hrvoje Zgombić explains. This applies especially to insolvency proceedings, where it's 'practically impossible.' A legal right that cannot be exercised is a right in name only, forcing those affected to invent new tactics.

Hrvoje Zgombić's firm covers all legal costs and risks for businesses pursuing these VAT refunds, with interest accruing from the moment the claim is filed. When a complex legal battle looms, taking on the financial burden for clients and allowing interest to build turns a denied claim into a more attractive investment.

The state often avoids settlement in legal disputes, even when it knows it is in the wrong, preferring to go to arbitration and often losing 'ten times more money.' Public institutions frequently prioritize avoiding perceived blame over sound financial decisions, leading to significantly higher long-term costs.

Hrvoje Zgombić estimates that approximately 400 million euros in VAT refunds are currently unclaimed across all Croatian insolvency proceedings, including pre-bankruptcy, bankruptcy, and Agrokor cases. The true scale of a systemic problem often remains hidden until someone quantifies the cumulative impact of many individually 'difficult' claims.

While most insolvency VAT claims have until 2026 before their statute of limitations expires, Agrokor-related claims face an imminent year-end deadline. Legal deadlines are not just administrative markers; they are strategic forces that create urgency and focus, compelling action on issues that might otherwise remain dormant.

Businesses act as agents for the state in collecting VAT, meaning they collect tax on behalf of the government. When a business cannot collect payment, the state, as the ultimate recipient of the tax, should bear that risk itself, not transfer it to the businesses it relies on for collection.

To ensure the strongest possible legal position, Hrvoje Zgombić's team consults both domestic and international tax and legal experts, specializing in VAT, on the same questions. When navigating complex and ambiguous legal terrain, cross-referencing expert opinions ensures the validity of the chosen approach.

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