Bosnia Issues Arrest Warrant for Vitezit Buyer Over Ukraine Arms Scandal
Bosnia’s Federal Police have launched a manhunt for Matias Zubak, owner of the WDG company and buyer of the Vitezit arms factory, over alleged illegalities in its acquisition. Ukrainian prosecutors have also issued a warrant for Zubak in connection with a $37.6 million deal.
The Federal Police Administration (FUP) has issued a warrant for Matias Zubak, owner of WDG, the Zagreb-based company that purchased the once-prominent Bosnian defense firm Vitezit, Klix.ba reports. The warrant, requested by judicial authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, comes as Zubak is formally listed as a suspect in an investigation led by FUP’s Organized Crime Department (POSKOK) over alleged irregularities during Vitezit’s bankruptcy acquisition.
According to Klix.ba, Ukrainian prosecutors had previously issued an international arrest warrant for Zubak in connection with a $37.6 million contract for the delivery of 100,000 mortar shells — a deal that has drawn international scrutiny amid ongoing investigations into illegal arms transfers.
The case gained traction earlier this week following FUP’s large-scale operation “Barut” (Gunpowder), during which four individuals were arrested: Tomislav Zubak, Behrija Huseinbegovic, Josip Rajic, and Nikola Cato. The Special Department of the Supreme Court of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina has since ordered detention for Tomislav Zubak, Huseinbegovic, and Rajic, while Cato was released under restrictive measures.
The ongoing investigation targets the controversial sale of “PS Vitezit”, a company once central to Bosnia’s defense industry, now at the heart of a major corruption and arms-trade probe. Authorities are focusing on alleged criminal acts committed after the Zagreb-based company “WDG Produkt” took control of Vitezit, which it acquired six years ago. The company has since been linked to multiple scandals involving arms exports to Ukraine.
In an exclusive interview with Klix.ba, Matias Zubak denied wrongdoing and announced that his legal team in the Netherlands is preparing a €150 million lawsuit against the Prime Minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nermin Niksic, and the FBiH Government.
“All court rulings, including those in our favor, have been translated and submitted. The state is attempting to unlawfully dispossess us,” Zubak told Klix.ba. “We have intelligence indicating that a Turkish company, with support from people close to the FBiH government, has been negotiating to take over Vitezit. We know that Prime Minister Nikšić approved meetings between this company and representatives of the defense industry to invalidate legally binding court decisions and favor them.”
Once a symbol of Bosnia’s industrial strength, Vitezit has now become the center of an international legal and political storm—one that could expose deeper ties between Balkan defense assets, foreign interests, and regional corruption networks.
Source: Klix.ba; additional reporting by Adria Defense.
