The arrest of ex-prime minister Ivo Sanader is proof that the rule of law in Croatia is functioning and that those in charge of the law implementation are not fascinated by political functions of the perpetrators of crimes, Croatian Interior Minister Tomislav Karamarko said in an interview for the Sarajevo-based Dnevni Avaz daily, which hit the newsstands on Saturday.
Karamarko recalled in the interview that two years ago, both the police and the state attorney's office were criticised because none of the "big shots" were arrested during the fight against corruption. "There is most definitely no room for such criticism today," Karamarko said adding that "this is a critical moment for Croatia".
After the homeland war and the creation of the state, this is possibly the most important period on which the future of Croatia will depend," Karamarko stressed.
He added that the quality of the criminal proceedings against Sanader would not significantly depend on the time of his extradition to Croatia, even if the extradition process will last several months.
Karamarko stressed that the Croatian authorities would not stop after Sanader's case, encouraging other countries in the region to fight corruption.
