By: Moja Dolenjska
In the working group that decided to revoke the protection of prosecutor Mateja Gončin, there is also a person whom the prosecutor had criminally charged, Večer reported today. Meanwhile, the top ranks of the judiciary and prosecution continue to respond tepidly to the matter and have not clearly stood in defence of the prosecutor, who prosecutes the most serious crimes.
According to Večer, the mentioned person is Ivan Kovačič, an employee of the office of the Director General of Police, working in the Internal Investigations and Integrity sector. He is a member of the working group responsible for conducting security assessments for at-risk police officers, prosecutors, and judges. Based on the assessment of this commission, the police revoked Gončin’s protection 14 days ago, meaning that a person whom the prosecutor had criminally charged was involved in the decision regarding her security.
The police neither confirmed nor denied Kovačič’s role in the working group to Večer, which suggests that the information is accurate.
Following the abrupt withdrawal of protection, reports emerged suggesting that Gončin’s security was revoked due to her criminal complaint against the police officers assigned to protect her. Allegedly, there had been multiple irregularities in the way her security was handled.
What stands out is the unusually weak response from Justice Minister Andreja Katič and the Supreme State Prosecutor’s Office, which have not clearly defended the prosecutor. Instead, they have treated the situation as a dispute between the police and the prosecutor, responding in an unexpectedly lukewarm manner.