US Cable Details Sanader 'Link' to Corruption Cases

"Prosecutors are developing at least one case against the former PM which could result in his indictment, and they are continuing to uncover evidence in several other cases which could also implicate Sanader," the January 2010 dispatch reads.

"In a series of meetings in early to mid-January, Croatian Chief State Prosecutor Mladen Bajic described several ongoing corruption probes to Poloff which target former Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, current and former ministers, and nearly all major state-owned enterprises.

"Bajic said that Sanader has possible involvement in several cases, but the one in which prosecutors have gathered the most evidence involves [alleged] illegal mediation between his friends and Hypo Alpe Adria Bank Group of Austria. The Hypo Bank case indicates that Sanader allegedly arranged a DM 4 million loan for his neighbor, Miroslav Kutle, in the 1990’s and received a DM 800,000 kickback from Kutle in return."

Sanader is also implicated in several corruption cases involving the Transportation Ministry, according to the cable.

The former prime minister and current independent MP left Croatia on Thursday, hours after prosecutors asked parliament to strip him of his immunity from prosecution.

After Sanader had already left the country, crossing into Slovenia, Croatian lawmakers voted to revoke his parliamentary immunity. On Friday morning, Croatian police issued an international arrest warrant for Sanader; though the charges against him, if any, are not known.

In the January 2010 US cable, diplomats also write that Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor is leading a strong fight against corruption in the country, and note that she has created effective interagency bodies, and declared that there are no "untouchables".

They add, however, that "an important test of Croatia’s anti-corruption efforts will be the ability to go after the biggest fish."