Former Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader's attorneys have filed a motion with the Office for the Suppression of Corruption and Organised Crime (USKOK) to see the file against their client, enclosing documentation from his hearing in Austria in late December at which he stated his defence and met the legal requirement allowing the defence to see the file, one of Sanader's attorneys, Goran Suic, said on Monday.
"Sanader stated his defence and we are fully entitled to see the file. We are waiting for USKOK's response to see if, when and how we will be allowed to see the file," he told reporters.
Suic stressed that Sanader was interviewed upon his arrest in Austria, pleading not guilty to Croatia's accusations, and that he would have done the same had he been in Croatia.
Sanader was arrested on December 10 and was interviewed by a Salzburg investigating judge over the next two days, pleading not guilty to abuse of office in unlawful transactions involving the Croatian companies HEP and Dioki, and to conspiracy in siphoning public funds via the Fimi Media marketing agency.
Over the weekend, he told Salzburger Nachrichten daily that he would not agree to simplified extradition to Croatia until he was briefed in detail about the Croatian accusations.
Last week, the Linz Appellate Court dismissed Sanader's appeal against extradition custody, saying that custody could not be replaced by milder means due to the grave accusations against him, the expected severity of the sentence, and the fact that he was a flight risk.
Sanader has been in extradition custody in Austria since December 10 on a warrant issued by Croatia on suspicion of corruption.
In the meantime, Austrian authorities have also launched an investigation into him on suspicion of money laundering via a Tyrolean bank.
