By: Aleš Primc
Administrative Unit of Ljubljana concluded an oral hearing on dangerous and illegal C0 channel on Monday, February 3rd.
Opponents of the sewage pipeline spent the entire day, as they had in the previous two hearings, presenting a multitude of new arguments regarding the dangers of the project. After more than 12 hours, Špela Knez ended the hearing under pressure from Janković’s lawyers, even though several experts still wanted to present their views. Since there will be no further oral hearings, the planned protest in front of the Administrative Unit on Wednesday, February 5th, has been cancelled!
We are winning, but we must persevere!
Based on all the arguments presented during the three-day hearing, it is completely clear that we must win, and that the construction permit must not be issued. Thank you to everyone who is helping! Thanks to all who attended the protests in front of the Administrative Unit, to those who followed the hearings live, and to those who continue to gather at the excellent demonstrations in front of the Ljubljana Town Hall! Without you, Janković would have already contaminated the drinking water relied upon by more than 400,000 people daily! We are winning, but we must remain persistent!
Janković did not attend a single oral hearing!
Zoran Janković, who is forcing through the highly dangerous and illegal C0 channel, did not dare to attend even one of the hearings! Instead, four lawyers from two law firms (Rojs, Peljhan, Prelesnik & Partners, and Krapenc & Attorneys), along with the project designer, participated in his place. Throughout the hearings, neither the lawyers nor the project designer could respond to the expert questions and arguments presented by the defenders of clean water regarding the dangers and illegality of the C0 channel. The lawyers repeatedly interrupted speakers, attempted to silence the opponents of the project, and pressured the officials to conclude the hearing. Meanwhile, the project designer, who should have been able to answer all technical questions, mostly refused to respond. Once again, the oral hearing demonstrated how dangerous, unlawful, and criminal the C0 channel project is – and how crucial it is that we prevent its implementation. If we fail, the wastewater from this project will poison the drinking water for over 400,000 people every day.
TV stations were prohibited from filming the hearings!
Maja Žiher and Špela Knez, officials from the Administrative Unit, banned filming during all three days of hearings – clearly with the approval of Janković’s lawyers. This decision was made despite Article 155 of the General Administrative Procedure Act, which states that oral hearings are public. A journalist from the online portal Ljubljanainfo.com was even removed from the room simply for taking a few photos. Everyone present at the hearing understood why filming was not allowed! They wanted to prevent the public from seeing and hearing the overwhelming evidence that the C0 channel is flawed, dangerous, unlawful, and criminal. They also wanted to hide the fact that Janković’s side had no technical arguments and that his legal team relied solely on aggressive pressure against officials and clean-water advocates. Despite these efforts, the defenders of clean drinking water remained undeterred. They calmly presented argument after argument, ensuring that everything was recorded in the official minutes. By the end of the second day, the minutes already totalled 31 pages, with additional expert evidence submitted into the record. Many complaints and lawsuits have also been filed in the case, demanding further clarification of legal violations. Once we receive the minutes from the final hearing, we will publish them, so they are publicly accessible.
We expect victory: The construction permit for the C0 channel must not be issued!
Given the overwhelming strength of the arguments presented by clean-water advocates, and the fact that Janković’s lawyers and project designer failed to answer critical technical and legal questions, we expect victory – meaning that the construction permit will not be granted. However, despite this expectation, we will continue to monitor all further proceedings at the Administrative Unit closely. Additionally, we will persist with our appeals and lawsuits and initiate new legal actions to further strengthen our position in protecting drinking water. We are fully aware that Zoran Janković controls many institutions until the next elections and is exerting immense pressure on them. That is why we must remain consistently active and vigilant!