By: Spletni časopis
Following accusations by Stojan Petrič, Darij Južna, and Janez Škrabec that they had corrupted the NSi party through payments to the Janez Evangelist Krek Institute, where NSi politicians allegedly gained financial benefits by being paid for work at the institute, Kolektor is said to have transferred €66,000, Riko €55,000, and Južna’s companies €37,000. Tamara Vonta (Freedom Movement), who leads the investigation into media outlets critical of government parties, publicly stated today that NSi is causing her difficulties by refusing to hand over documentation before the elections, documents that could further implicate NSi politicians. Vonta is demanding that the court seize the documentation on her behalf before the elections.
Tamara Vonta sent a report to the police, an institution that her party leader, Robert Golob, has reshaped through several purges to consolidate control, alleging abuse of office by former DARS director Valentin Hajdinjak. Surprisingly, Freedom Movement did not dismiss Hajdinjak immediately after taking power, as NSi had helped them block SDS, the largest opposition party, from assuming oversight of the government, a role traditionally held by the larger opposition party. SDS was also prevented from launching investigations into €103,000 in transfers from GEN-I to Vesna Vuković’s company, large transfers from GEN-I to Kosovo, and overpayments of salaries and bonuses to Golob. Vonta also accused the company T-2 of corruption and reported a suspected breach of the Integrity Act by NSi’s secretary general, Robert Ilc, to the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption (CPC). Given the timing, just ahead of elections, she made sure to inform the media.
Nova24TV recently pointed out that Vonta has initiated legal proceedings against them and reminded the public that the law requires an MP to recuse themselves from an investigative commission if they are in a legal dispute with the subject of the investigation. I asked the Freedom Movement’s parliamentary group whether they see a problem in the fact that their commission chair, who is investigating private media critical of the government, is simultaneously suing those same media outlets. No response has been received so far.
Vonta’s latest statement regarding NSi reads:
“The investigative commission of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia has recently submitted a report to the police regarding the alleged abuse of office by Valentin Hajdinjak and alleged indirect financing of the political party New Slovenia – Christian Democrats (NSi) through inflated contracts with the company T-2 d.o.o. The commission also received a letter from attorney Valentin Bajuk, acting on behalf of NSi and its president Jernej Vrtovec, rejecting the submission of documentation that the commission urgently needs to establish the facts. The refusal to submit documentation related to alleged party financing through private companies that received public funds during NSi’s ministerial tenure is viewed by the commission as:
- an attempt to obstruct its work,
- a possible political calculation that the commission’s mandate will expire before a court can order the seizure of documents.
Despite time constraints, the commission believes there is a realistic chance the court will decide on the matter before the mandate ends. Therefore, the commission proposes filing a request for judicial seizure of the documentation NSi refuses to provide. This includes contracts and time logs between NSi and the following sole proprietors:
- the secretary general,
- the deputy secretary general,
- the international secretary,
- two public relations advisors.
The refusal is especially surprising given that both Aleksander Reberšek and Robert Ilc have publicly stated that NSi has no issue disclosing its financial operations to competent authorities, including the investigative commission, which clearly falls under that category. They have even brought audit reports from the Court of Audit to public appearances as proof of transparency. However, the commission notes that it intends to conduct a more thorough review than the Court of Audit typically performs, as the latter often relies on sample checks due to staffing limitations. In light of accusations of political targeting, which the commission fully rejects, it is most appropriate for the court to decide.
Completed investigation: Municipality of Škofljica
Although the commission has not yet concluded its investigation into NSi’s alleged indirect financing, it has completed the part involving cooperative parties, specifically, the Municipality of Škofljica. Based on the collected documentation, the commission found that:
- Robert Ilc, NSi’s secretary general, municipal councillor, and deputy mayor of Škofljica, • and the IJEK Institute, founded and governed by Ilc, allegedly committed multiple violations of Article 35 of the Integrity and Prevention of Corruption Act (ZIntPK). Ilc, as a municipal official, enabled funds from the municipal budget, intended for council groups, to be redirected to the IJEK Institute, which he founded and where he served on the board. The investigation shows that IJEK received payments for services such as “public opinion research,” meaning Ilc facilitated the unlawful acquisition of municipal funds by a legal entity with which he was directly connected. There is also reasonable suspicion that Ilc was the final recipient of part of these funds through transfers from the institute to his sole proprietorship. The case has been referred to the competent authority – CPC.”
