The law firm Suic-Lovric-Klobucar from Zagreb will submit to the court and the anti-corruption office USKOK on Monday a power of attorney authorising it to represent former Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, and the firm's representatives will visit him on Tuesday, after which they will reach agreement with his Austrian defence attorney on the possibility of offering bail for his release from extradition custody.
"It is too soon to discuss our future steps, including the timing of bail, but we will definitely consider it at a meeting with Vienna lawyer Werner Suppan," said attorney Goran Suic, who last week received a power of attorney from Sanader authorising him to represent him.
Suic said that his colleague Ivan Lovric would later this afternoon submit to the court the power of attorney to represent Sanader in Croatia. Sanader's Croatian defence counsel will visit him tomorrow in Salzburg, where he has been in extradition custody for about ten days.
Sanader's defence attorney from Zagreb said that he would ask USKOK to examine his client's case file.
Croatian media reported today that unlike Croatian courts, Austrian courts were inclined to replace the extradition custody with bail.
A spokesperson for the prosecutor's office in Salzburg said last week that it was not known if Sanader wanted to offer to pay bail, but that release on bail was not likely at present because there was a risk that Sanader could cover up evidence or tamper with witnesses, which are offences which rule out the possibility of release on bail.
Croatia requested Sanader's extradition from Austria on suspicion of conspiracy in a corruption case involving the Fimi Media marketing agency and of abuse of powers in illegal dealings between the power supplier HEP and the Dioki petrochemical company. USKOK has launched an investigation against him, and a Zagreb County Court judge has ruled month-long detention against him due to the risk that he could escape and tamper with witnesses.
Meanwhile, the Austrian state prosecution too has launched an investigation into Sanader after a bank from Innsbruck reported him on suspicion of money laundering.
Austrian prosecutors have said that they will check the report, and in case an investigation is launched and an indictment is issued, the case could obstruct Sanader's transfer to Croatia.
A parliamentary commission from the Austrian province of Carinthia investigating the Hypo Alpe Adria Bank case is also interested in Sanader's case. A commission member, Rolf Holub, has said that the former Croatian PM will be interviewed by the commission on Wednesday and that the commission has obtained approval for the questioning from the authorities in Vienna.
