At his second appearance before investigators from the anti-corruption agency USKOK, former Croatian prime minister Ivo Sanader on Wednesday denied all accusations against him in the Hypo bank case, in which he is suspected of receiving a 3.5 million kuna commission from the bank in exchange for selecting the Austrian bank to grant a loan to Croatia. The accusations pertain to the period between 1994 and 1995 when Sanader was deputy foreign minister.
Sanader denied all the accusations just as he did last week when he denied all accusations against him in the Fimi Media case.
One of Sanader's lawyers, Cedo Prodanovic, told reporters after the questioning, which lasted about an hour, that Sander handled himself well, adding that Sanader did not accuse anyone. "Given that this case is significantly smaller than the one involving Fimi Media, the presentation of defence did not last as long," Prodanovic said.
He announced that his colleague Goran Suic would later today examine the 1,000-page file concerning commission-taking, noting however that the file was significantly smaller than the one relating to the Fimi Media case.
The next interrogation of Sanader, which USKOK suspects of several corruption cases, will be held most probably in about ten days, given the summer vacation season and the fact that Sanader needs to undergo several medical examinations, according to Prodanovic.
Prodanovic said Sanader's general condition was good, dismissing media reports that he was severely ill.
Asked if an indictment would be issued in one of the cases Sanader is suspected of, Prodanovic said this question should be addressed to USKOK, adding that the defence team was prepared for all scenarios.
