Austria: Former Prime Minister Ivo Sanader be extradited

An Austrian court ruled Monday that former Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader can be extradited to his homeland where he will be tried for acts of corruption, Reuters. Former chief executive of Croatia between 2003-2009, Sanader was arrested in Austria in December 2010 under an international warrant for his arrest.

Sanader was wanted by the authorities in Zagreb for an investigation of corruption. Croatian prosecutor said seeking punishment of 15 years in prison for corruption and abuse of power for the former premier.

Hans Rathgeb, president of the Salzburg Regional Court, Sanader said that Austrian authorities will remain in custody after his lawyers appealed the decision Monday.

Sanader Croatia had left a day before his arrest, shortly before the Parliament in Zagreb waive his immunity.

Prosecutors suspecteza him that it was in power, Sanader was behind a plan for setting up secret funds for the HDZ, the conservative political faction. Sanader is the highest ranking Croatian accused of corruption so far.

Croatian Office requested the fight against corruption in December 2010 blocking properties and assets of Sanader, among which several businesses and apartments.

Just days after his arrest in Austria Sanader, Parliament adopted the law in Zagreb that allows seizure of assets obtained through illicit means, the decision of the Croatian parliament authorities as part of the fight against organized crime and corruption, a country aspiring to join European Union in 2012.

The document stipulates that the authorities can seize property both before and during investigations. The judges will decide which part of his fortune was acquired through illegal means and, once the verdict is announced, the goods will be taken over by the state.

The law also obliges banks to provide information about the finances of suspects.