Ex-Croatian prime minister Ivo Sanader sent to Croatian news agency Hina a text message on Friday saying he was returning to Croatia this afternoon and would respond to the call from Croatian institutions.
"I've been on a pre-arranged business trip. After I heard last night that my parliamentary immunity had been lifted and an order for my detention had been issued, I've decided to return immediately, although I wasn't due back for a few more days. So, this was no escape and the fact that I have always returned from my trips to the United States supports that claim," Sanader said in the text message to Hina.
Sanader also said that he had not been "at the helm of a gang, but at the helm of the Croatian government and the Croatian Democratic Union party with which he had won the elections and confidence of voters twice in a row".
"In this case the shots are called by the politicians who use persecution to achieve their political goals," Sanader said.
