Croatian Interior Ministry official Dubravko Novak told Croatian Television on Friday night that former Prime Minister Ivo Sanader should be brought before an investigating judge in Salzburg within 24 hours of his arrest near Salzburg shortly before 4 pm on Friday.
Novak said Sanader might be brought before the judge on Saturday morning, adding the judge would set pre-extradition custody and, after examining the case, ask Sanader if he wanted to be extradited to Croatia or not.
Novak said that if Sanader agreed to the extradition, the procedure could be completed in a matter of days.
If Sanader says he does not agree to the extradition, the Croatian Justice Ministry will send the entire case file to the judge in Austria, who, after examining it, will rule whether to extradite Sanader or not, said Novak.
He added that the judge's decision could be appealed, after which the case was referred to a superior court.
Sanader was arrested near Salzburg on an international warrant and was taken to a local court.
Croatia's anti-corruption agency USKOK suspects him of conspiracy to commit crime and of abuse of office in the case of the marketing agency Fimi Media and in the illegal sale of electricity by the state-owned power company HEP to the petrochemical company Dioki.
