[JURIST] The Croatian Supreme Court on Thursday overturned the conviction and nine-year prison sentence of former prime minister Ivo Sanader [JURIST news archive], ordering a new trial. Sanader was convicted in March 2014 of corruption after allegedly embezzling [AFP report] millions of euros in public funds. He was also ordered to return [JURIST report] nearly USD $2.8 million, and the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) [official website] was ordered to return over USD $5 million. The 2014 decision marked the first time a Croatian political party was convicted of corruption. Sanader is set to be released on bond totaling about USD $1.8 million.

This was the second corruption conviction for Sanader who was sentenced [JURIST report] in 2012 to 10 years in prison. In September 2011 Croatian prosecutors announced that they had charged Sanader [JURIST report] with embezzlement relating to a real estate deal that took place during his time in office. Sanader was accused of using government funds to purchase a building in the capital city of Zagreb at an inflated price and stealing the surplus.