Mr Sanader is now an independent MP A former Croatian prime minister facing a corruption inquiry has quit the country but reportedly denied he was fleeing prosecution.
Ivo Sanader crossed the border into Slovenia as parliament began the process to lift the MP's immunity from prosecution.
The inquiry has been focusing on officials from the ruling HDZ party who were in office under Mr Sanader.
Brussels has put pressure on EU-hopeful Croatia to stamp out corruption.
Mr Sanader stepped down as prime minister in July last year in a surprise move and was expelled from the HDZ in January.
As an independent MP, he still enjoys immunity from prosecution.
The procedure for lifting immunity is usually launched when an investigation is near the end or completed, the Associated Press news agency reports.
'I am on a trip'The former prime minister crossed into Slovenia on Thursday, the interior ministry said, adding that police had had no legal reason to stop him.
Croatian newspaper Vecernji List contacted him to ask if he was "on the run" and whether he would respond to a summons from the Office for Suppression of Corruption and Organised Crime (respond to Uskok).
"I am on a trip, planned beforehand and of course I will respond," he was quoted as replying in a text message.
There are conflicting reports about whether Mr Sanader may have Austrian citizenship.
Acting on a request from Uskok, parliament's immunity commission decided unanimously on Thursday to recommend that Mr Sanader be arrested on suspicion of "conspiracy to commit crime and abuse of office".
The decision will be put to a plenary session of parliament "shortly", Croatian state news agency Hina reports.
On Monday, former Defence Minister Berislav Roncevic, who served in Mr Sanader's cabinet in 2003-07, was sentenced to five years in prison for corruption on Monday.
Since Mr Sanader's departure from office, a dozen managers of banks and state companies have been arrested for corruption but in most cases indictments are still pending, Reuters news agency reports.
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