By: Gašper Blažič
Although we already reported that the farcical Kafkaesque Trenta trial has become nothing more than a mere formality to maintain the appearance of a “rule of law” tailored to the tastes of the power brokers behind the scenes, this farce will apparently continue well into spring. Yesterday, the presiding judge, Cvetka Posilovič, scheduled several new hearings until the end of March.
As we reported earlier, Franc Nahtigal and Anton Kožar fully exposed the valuation manipulation by Sicgras , which formed the basis of the indictment. However, for Judge Cvetka Posilovič, this was not enough – she personally proposed four new witnesses who might support the prosecution’s claims. This indicates that the trial will be dragged out as long as possible, likely until the elections, with the verdict expected to be made public once the (early?) election date is announced. The perception of guilt, determined by a supposedly independent institution, remains a powerful factor in voter decision-making.
Throughout the Trenta trial, we have also pointed out multiple times that the presiding judge has significantly eased the prosecutors’ work, as she largely conducts the witness questioning herself. As a result, prosecutors Boštjan Valenčič and Luka Moljk only started asking questions towards the end of yesterday’s hearing, when economic and real estate expert Anton Kožar took the stand.
Janez Janša also addressed this issue today on the X network, highlighting the judge’s prosecutorial-style questioning, stating that she has “essentially taken on the role of a third prosecutor” instead of impartially weighing the evidence presented by both the prosecution and the defence.
“While we witness corruption deals worth tens and hundreds of millions and the unchecked rise of Balkan mafia activities in Ljubljana, the president of the Prosecutors’ Association, Boštjan Valenčič, and the deputy head of the Specialised State Prosecutor’s Office, Luka Moljk – rather than prosecuting crime – are spending days, weeks, and months suppressing the so-called class enemy of the transitional left. It seems that the rule of law will not be achieved in any other way than through determined civil resistance, as in 1988. That is why all of us who care about freedom of speech, democracy, the dignity of Slovenian pensioners, students, workers, and entrepreneurs, and equality before the law will join the protest gathering on February 19th at Jože Pučnik Square (Republic Square) in Ljubljana,” Janša wrote on X.