The indictment was upheld by a panel of judges at a closed-door session on Monday morning.

In October 2010, Sanader testified on INA-MOL relations before a Croatian Parliament fact-finding commission on the privatisation of INA. He said then that all he had done was for the benefit of Croatia, telling his former party colleagues that they were risking "falling into their own trap."

Former Deputy PM Damir Polancec was also a suspect in the case, but USKOK gave up prosecuting him because it did not find any evidence of Polancec having aided and abetted Sanader in the abuse of office.

Before issuing the indictment, the prosecutors failed to obtain a deposition from the suspect Hernadi, although they had requested it from their Hungarian colleagues. According to media reports, the Hungarian authorities explained their rejection by saying that the transfer of requested information would pose a threat to Hungary's security. Afterwards, agreement was reached on referring the prosecution of Hernadi to Hungary.

The investigation in the case was launched in mid-June and the indictment was filed in September.

On 31 August, USKOK filed the first indictment against Sanader, accusing him of abuse of office as deputy foreign minister in 1994 and 1995 and taking HRK 3.6 million in kickbacks for a loan the government obtained from Austria's Hypo bank. This indictment was upheld, and the trial is in progress. Sanader was arraigned last Thursday, denying all the charges.

Sanader's lawyers said today that USKOK has proposed the merger of these two proceedings, and this motion would be considered by a new panel of judges at the Zagreb County Court.