Former Croatian prime minister Ivo Sanader denied on Thursday allegations he received illegal provisions in dealings with Austrian bank Hypo Alpe Adria Group, the Austria Press Agency (APA) reported. In a statement obtained by APA, Sanader said he had 'never taken any provision for arranging loans by the Hypo Alpe Adria Group (HGAA).' He also insisted he had received 'no other illegal payments.' 'I did not knowingly favour anyone regarding contracts for the Croatian government,' he added. The Croatian weekly Nacional had reported on Tuesday that authorities were probing Sanader, who withdrew from politics last year, over his alleged lobbying for loans given by HGAA to a Croatian group. According to the weekly, the prosecution was 'investigating if Sanader received an illegal provision (estimated at) 800,000 German marks (410,000 euros, 525,000 dollars) in the late 1990s' from a local company, Globus Grupa, in order for it to get a major loan from HGAA. Sanader insisted in his statement Thursday that the allegations were nothing new but dated back several years, and that he had already repeatedly rejected them. 