By: Moja Dolenjska
The Specialised State Prosecutor’s Office is conducting a pre-investigation procedure against Prime Minister Robert Golob due to alleged pressure on former Interior Minister Tatjana Bobnar and other employees at the Ministry of the Interior, as stated in a press release issued by the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption (CPC).
CPC announced today that it had to temporarily suspend the investigation procedure against Prime Minister Robert Golob, which it initiated due to pressures on the police. The suspension was necessary because, at this moment, CPC cannot provide Golob with comprehensive access to the case file within its own procedure, and thus ensure all procedural rights.
Access to the case file can be limited or denied to the person under investigation if CPC, based on the opinion of the competent authority, assesses that it could jeopardise the interests of the pre-investigation, criminal, or other judicial or supervisory proceedings. Therefore, CPC requested an opinion from the Specialised State Prosecutor’s Office, which stated that disclosing certain documentation from the file to the person under investigation would harm the interests of the pre-investigation procedure. Based on the obtained opinion and a renewed comprehensive review of the documentation on which the investigation was initiated, CPC issued a decision to temporarily suspend the procedure.
“The Commission is aware that public and political expectations regarding its work are high. However, as an independent body, the Commission must take into account the interests of the procedures conducted by the police and the prosecution, as they investigate suspicions of criminal offenses for which CPC is not competent. Therefore, these procedures take precedence over CPC procedures,” they stated.
From the information provided, it is evident that the police and the prosecutor’s office are also investigating Golob for pressures within the pre-investigation procedure.
CPC also mentioned that they would continue with the procedure as soon as possible, and during this time, they would perform necessary procedural actions with the aim of expediting the conclusion of the procedure after the reasons for the temporary suspension cease to exist.