The Croatian Interior Ministry (MUP) has issued a warrant for the arrest of former Croatian prime minister Ivo Sanader, suspected of conspiracy to commit crime and of abuse of office, the ministry said on its website on Friday morning.
The Office for the Prevention of Corruption and Organised Crime (USKOK) on Thursday evening ordered the issue of the arrest warrant for Sanader after Zagreb County Court investigating judge Kresimir Devcic granted its request and ordered a month-long detention against Sanader. Devcic told Hina detention was set because Sanader is a flight risk and and he could temper with witnesses.
The arrest warrant states that Sanader was born on 8 June 1953 in Split, that he holds Croatian citizenship and speaks three foreign languages (English, German and Italian)
Te arrest warrant has not been not published on Interpol's website by 0920 hours.
Zagreb lawyer Mate Matic who received a text message from Sanader late on Thursday evening saying that he would return to Croatia in three to four days, told Croatian Radio on Friday morning that he could not defend Sanader due to conflict of interest, as he was the attorney for Darko Beuk, member of the Hrvatske Sume company management board, in the Fimi Media case.
Matic said USKOK had already contacted him regarding that issue.
