A court in Salzburg will decide on May 9 if former Croatian prime minister Ivo Sanader will be extradited to Croatia, held in detention for a further 60 days or released on bail, Bulgarian media reported.

Sanader is wanted in connection with a corruption investigation, and was arrested by police in Austria in December 2010. But his lawyer has said that his client "cannot" expect a fair trial if he is extradited back to his homeland, the report said.

"There are no conditions for a fair trial in Croatia under the Convention on Human Rights," said Sanader, adding that he wished not to be extradited, the Bulgarian news agency (BTA) reported.

The Salzburg court, however, has confirmed that necessary documentation pertaining to his case has been received from Croatia and that the process is ready to proceed, the report said.

Acting on a court order from Zagreb, Austrian authorities have frozen about 1.36 million euro in cash and assets belonging to the former prime minister, found in vaults. In Croatia, another 2.58 million euro have been blocked by Croatian police, the report said.

Sanader is accused of abusing his position and laundering about 2.8 million euro while in office. The government said Sanader was wanted for allegedly taking part in criminal activity and abuse of power for personal gain.

Sanader is the first Croatian prime minister implicated in a corruption scandal. He held the job for six years before resigning in 2009.
 
Sanader says the accusations against him are politically motivated.

"I didn't head a [criminal] gang; I headed the cabinet," Croatian news agency Hina quoted him as saying.