Former Prime Minister Ivo Sanader was visited at Remetinec prison in Zagreb on Sunday by his friend, Tyrolean Parliament Speaker Herwig Van Staa, who told the press afterwards he believed Sanader was innocent but that he was not sure he would have a fair trial.
"I'm not sure, but I hope it will be so," Van Staa said, adding that he was following with many in Europe who were interested in Sanader's situation what was happening with the court proceedings against the former PM.
Van Staa said Croatian media reports gave one the impression that the presumption of innocence was not certain in Sanader's case.
He was surprised that Sanader was not alone in a cell but sharing it with other prisoners, which he said was not customary in Europe.
Asked what they talked about, Van Staa said Croatia's accession to the European Union was important to Sanader so he did not want to say anything that could make it harder, adding that Sanader hope to be released pending trial.
Although this was a private visit, Van Staa said he would notify Council of Europe institutions about it. He and Sanader have been friends for some 30 years and he decorated him when serving as Tyrol's governor.
The Zagreb County Court will decide on Monday whether Sanader will remain in investigative custody or be released pending trial.
His attorney Jadranka Slokovic said the defence team would request he be released, as there were no conditions that required custody any longer.
She said the team had not decided yet whether they would opt for bail but that this was the likeliest outcome and that more would be known tomorrow.
Sanader has been in custody since July 18. His trial for taking kickbacks for a loan which the Hypo bank granted Croatia in the mid-1990s is scheduled for October 28. In the Hypo case Sanader is accused of war profiteering and abuse of office when he was Deputy Foreign Minister, allegedly receiving HRK 3.6 million (approx. 481,300 euros) in kickbacks.
