Former Prime Minister and Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) president Ivo Sanader will be questioned in the case of the HRK 650 million fraud of the HEP power provider at a hearing set for 13 February, after his questioning, due to have taken place before the Zagreb county office of the Chief State Prosecutor on Friday, was cancelled as Sanader came to the hearing without any of his lawyers.
"I was willing to present my defence but under the law, I must have defence attorneys at the first hearing," Sanader told reporters on Friday morning after he spent 45 minutes in the building housing offices of the county prosecutor. Sanader's lawyers were prevented from coming due to health conditions and busy schedules.
Upon his first questioning before the prosecutorial authorities, Sanader is likely to become an indictee in this case.
A few days ago the Zagreb County Prosecutor's Office indicted Ivan Mravak, former management board chairman of the HEP power company, in the case involving the sale of electricity below the market price to the Sibenik-based TLM light metal factory and Bosnia's Aluminij company, in which HEP was allegedly defrauded of HRK 650 million.
The indictment has been filed after more than 18 months of investigation. The other accused are Mravak's former advisor, retired general Ivan Kapular, and former HEP Supervisory Board member Zdenko Juricic. Mravak is accused of abusing office at the orders of former Prime Minister Sanader, who is still under investigation in the case, the prosecutor's office said in a statement last Monday. Before filing the indictment, the prosecutor's office dropped the prosecution of former Deputy PM Damir Polancec and former TLM director Ivan Kostan.
