The documents which the Austrian judiciary requested from Croatia to decide on the extradition of former Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader have arrived in Austria, but there are still issues that could affect the decision to be made at a hearing scheduled for Monday, the spokeswoman for the Austrian prosecutor in Salzburg, Barbara Feichtinger, told press on Friday.
She said she could say nothing in advance about the decision on Sanader's possible extradition to Croatia, but confirmed that the sought documents had finally arrived from Croatia.
Feichtinger added, however, that outstanding issues remained. Sanader claims that his attorneys in Croatia have no access to documents, while representatives of the Croatian judiciary ask that Sanader first say whether he agrees to be extradited, she said.
That is why one cannot predict the decision the court in Salzburg will make on Monday, as it has to assess whether the fact that his attorneys in Croatia have been prevented from seeing the documents accusing Sanader constitutes a breach of his rights, said Feichtinger.
If Sanader agrees to being extradited to Croatia, which he has refused so far, he could be transferred soon, but only after the required procedure has been carried out, she added.
Sanader has been in custody in Salzburg since December 10. The Croatian judiciary suspects him of abuse of office.
