By: Moja Dolenjska
Last week, Acting Director General of Police Damjan Petrič appointed the current head of the Operational-Communication Centre (OKC) of the Ljubljana Police Administration, Aleksander Perklič, as the new head of the Centre for Protection and Security (CVZ).
According to the General Police Directorate, Perklič will assume leadership of the centre on February 1st.
Aleksander Perklič previously served as the commander of the Kamnik Police Station (taking over in November 2015) and, before that, as the assistant commander of the Ljubljana Vič Police Station. In 2015, the Kamnik Info portal reported that Perklič hails from the Zasavje region and lives near Polzela. In 2017, then-mayor of Kamnik, Marjan Šarec, awarded Perklič a commendation from the Slovenian Traffic Safety Agency.
Our sources now report that Aleksander Perklič, the new head of the CVZ, is the husband of Tadeja Forstner Perklič, former ambassador to China. In 2019, as Prime Minister, Marjan Šarec appointed her as a secretary in his cabinet, responsible for foreign affairs.
In Perklič’s case, this appointment reflects the influence of former members of the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), later integrated into Robert Golob’s Freedom Movement, similar to Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar and State Secretary Damir Črnčec, a close confidant of Golob.
Observers claim that Perklič is professionally quite a contentious figure, with some doubting his professional capabilities. Notably, Perklič temporarily left the police force to work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but he now returns in a prominent position.
The Centre for Protection and Security (CVZ) has recently faced numerous allegations of misconduct and abuse. Specialised state prosecutor Mateja Gončin expressed concerns about alleged monitoring of her private life by security personnel assigned to her protection. Gončin stated that she had raised concerns about irregularities with Police Director General Senad Jušić as early as the beginning of 2023 but fears that the CVZ leadership and police management are trying to sweep the matter under the rug. Media outlets have also reported other irregularities within the CVZ.