FORMER CROATIAN prime minister Ivo Sanader will spend the new year in detention in Austria awaiting a court decision on Zagreb’s request for his extradition on corruption charges.
Mr Sanader was arrested in Austria this month on an international warrant issued by Croatia for “conspiring to commit a criminal act and abuse of power”, as part of a suspected plan to use public firms to create slush funds for private and party purposes during his 2003-2009 period in office.
Mr Sanader is also being investigated by Viennese prosecutors over an alleged money-laundering scheme. He has been questioned by the regional parliament in Austria’s Carinthia state over the failure of the Hypo Alpe Adria bank.
The former prime minister insists he is not guilty of any wrongdoing in Austria and is the victim of a witch-hunt in Croatia. This he claims is by sections of the media and people loyal to his successor, Jadranka Kosor, whom the European Union has praised for stepping up Zagreb’s anti-corruption campaign as it seeks to complete membership talks with the bloc in the first half of next year.
Acting on a request from the national anti-corruption agency, Croatian police this week seized Mr Sanader’s art collection during a raid at his home in Zagreb, amid reports that it was worth far more than its €200,000 official valuation. His property and the assets of his wife and daughters have already been frozen.
Croatian media say investigators have also discovered foreign bank accounts belonging to Mr Sanader and his family that contain more than €1 million.
Mr Sanader (57) resigned unexpectedly as prime minister in July 2009, after dominating Croatian politics for several years.
He was expelled from his HDZ party in January this year, but regained his seat and his parliamentary immunity in October. That immunity was lifted the day before his arrest as he drove along a motorway in Austria on December 10th.
Corruption allegations mounted up during his time in office and, since his departure, several prominent associates have been investigated and some arrested.
An Austrian newspaper quoted Mr Sanader as saying in a letter to leading European politicians that Ms Kosor and allies were trying to frame him to prevent his return to politics.
After slow progress under Mr Sanader, Ms Kosor’s government has been praised for reinvigorating Croatia’s bid to become the EU’s 28th member in 2012.
