The Salzburg prosecutor's office said on Saturday that proceedings had been launched for the extradition of former Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, who was arrested in Austria yesterday on an international warrant issued by the Croatian judiciary on corruption charges, according to the AFP news agency.
The extradition procedure has begun and a decision to put Sanader in prison during the procedure is expected to be made today, said spokeswoman Barbara Feichtinger.
Sanader is expected to be interviewed by a judge today and the Austrian judiciary is expected to offer a simplified extradition procedure. If he agrees to it, Sanader could be returned to Croatia in a few days.
If he refuses, "the court should make a decision, which would take time," said Feichtinger.
The Salzburg prosecutor's office is expected to receive documents from Croatia to examine the Sanader case.
"The case is now in the hands of the Austrian judiciary. In line with international law, Austrian police on Friday acted on the Croatian judiciary's international arrest warrant," said Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger.
He added that given the extradition convention between the two countries, "I think Ivo Sanader will most probably be extradited."
