The Office for the Suppression of Corruption and Organised Crime (USKOK) said on Monday evening that police were not seizing former Prime Minister Ivo Sanader's assets at his house in Zagreb, but only helping a Zagreb Municipal Court distraint officer list and seize moveables to ensure the collection of the state's claims.
Responding to numerous queries as to the grounds on which police were seizing assets from Sanader's house, USKOK said in a press release that police were only helping the distraint officer, who was listing and seizing property in accordance with a court decision to temporarily seize assets acquired through commission of a crime as a way of ensuring the collection of the claims by the damaged party, in this case the state.
The decision to temporarily seize Sanader's art collection was made by a Zagreb County Court's investigating judge at a motion filed by USKOK.
The temporary seizure of Sanader's works of art began today as collateral that the state will be able to collect money if Sanader is found guilty of abuse of office in unlawful operations involving the power supply company HEP and the petrochemical company Dioki and of conspiracy to siphon funds from ministries and public companies via the Fimi Media marketing agency.
According to some media, another reason for seizing the art collection is USKOK's attempt to prove that Sanader bought paintings with money siphoned from state companies.
Sanader was arrested in Austria on December 10 on a warrant issued by Croatia. He was remanded in custody for one month today.
The office of the Austrian prosecutor for corruption last Thursday deposed Sanader in an investigation launched into him in Austria in the wake of a Tyrolean bank's suspicions against him for money laundering. Sanader denied any involvement.
If Sanader is indicted in Austria in that case, that will delay his extradition to Croatia, as the Austrian case will become a priority and have to be solved before the extradition.
