"Absolutely not," he told the press after a government session when asked if he felt responsible for Sanader's departure.

Karamarko said he did not think he should resign, as suggested by President Ivo Josipovic.

"Perhaps the president didn't express himself in the best way and didn't say well what he meant. He should explain the legal grounds on which the police should have acted with regard to Sanader at a time when custody had not been requested for him, but only that he be stripped of (parliamentary) immunity, which meant nothing to the police at 1110 hours," said Karamarko.

He feels the fact that Sanader left the country is not a police oversight. "We can't act based on whatever discretion or assumption that something will happen."

Asked if the State Prosecutor's Office was responsible in this case for not acting well and prompt enough, Karamarko would not go into that.

"Procedure is under way... The county court will probably request issuing a warrant, extradition and so on."

Asked if he would request Sanader's extradition if he was abroad, Karamarko said, "of course."

"When he left he was a free citizen. Had we stopped and arrested him, you would ask on what legal grounds did we do it, then you would ask if I feel responsible for that. In every situation we act strictly following the law to the letter."

Karamarko reiterated the police had only known about the request to strip Sanader of immunity and that putting him in custody had not been envisaged.

He disagreed with a reporter's claim that after this case and the previous case of MP Branimir Glavas, it seemed that those in power always found a way "to let their people go abroad."

"I wouldn't agree. That's why an extradition agreement was signed with Bosnia and Herzegovina, to reduce risks," he said, adding "this case will be solved too."

Asked about cooperation between the police and the State Attorney's Office, Karamarko said it was good and that they were working on closing "crucial" cases.