By: Nova24tv.si
The SDS parliamentary group has filed an interpellation regarding the work and responsibility of Finance Minister Boštjančič. SDS MP Zvone Černač highlighted his responsibility for the ‘Litijska’ scandal, as well as his self-reporting in the National Assembly. As Černač reminded, the minister himself admitted that ‘everything was wrong’ with the purchase of the dilapidated building on Litijska Street in Ljubljana, yet he has not taken responsibility to this day. Černač also added that if the finance minister had acted in accordance with the law, the harmful purchase of the dilapidated building would not have occurred.
“In the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS), we have therefore filed an interpellation concerning the work and responsibility of Finance Minister Klemen Boštjančič,” explained Černač.
The SDS is submitting the interpellation due to:
- the minister’s actions that contain elements of the criminal offense of negligent work in office under Article 258 of the Criminal Code (KZ-1) in connection with Article 25/1 and Article 20/II of the Criminal Code (KZ-1), as well as the criminal offense of damaging public funds under Article 257.a of the Criminal Code (KZ-1);
- misleading the public regarding the unlawful provision of budget funds for the purchase of a building at Litijska Street 51 in Ljubljana;
- damage to public finances and inefficient, wasteful management of public funds;
- actions by the minister containing elements of the criminal offense of abuse of official position or official rights under Article 257 of the Criminal Code (KZ-1);
- lost public trust in the minister’s role as a steward of public finances, linked to payments made by the minister’s company to an offshore account.
“When it comes to public finances, we are dealing with taxpayers’ money. This is, therefore, the people’s money, and it must be handled even more responsibly than we handle our own. When dealing with our own funds, we are accountable to ourselves, but when handling others’ money, entrusted to us, the responsibility is significantly broader. Every minister, especially the finance minister, must be aware of this,” Černač stated.
He then referred to the report from the Court of Audit regarding the proposed final account of the budget of the Republic of Slovenia for 2023. “In this audit, the Court of Audit found, among other things, that the purchase of the building at Litijska 51 violated the Public Finance Act. Furthermore, the Court of Audit found that in the 2023 budget, the purchase of the building at Litijska 51 was not planned, no funds were allocated for it, and no appropriate investment documentation was prepared. Moreover, the Court of Audit noted that despite the 2023 budget being amended twice – once in May 2023 and again in August 2023 – this purchase was not planned in either of these budget revisions,” Černač recalled.
Černač also highlighted the finding of the Court of Audit that there was no adequate legal basis for the reallocation of 6.5 million euros from the budget reserve.
Boštjančič encouraged violations of the law
“The documentation obtained shows that the finance minister, as the guardian of public finances, did not alert others to these facts; he did not act as a protector of public finances or ensure the lawful use of public funds. Instead, in December 2023, he explicitly encouraged the acceleration of activities, thus encouraging legal violations. According to the correspondence between the ministries, he specifically emphasised that funds for the purchase of Litijska 51 would be provided if the Ministry of Justice completed the purchase in 2023,” emphasised SDS MP.
Černač added that the minister was aware of all of this, as his subordinates had warned him that “this could only be achieved by directly violating the law”.
“If the finance minister had acted in accordance with the law and had not proposed the reallocation of funds – an unlawful reallocation from the budget reserve – this harmful purchase of Litijska 51 would certainly not have taken place,” Černač added.