By Domen Mezeg (Nova24tv)
“I have worked constructively with all the authorities investigating the purchase of medical equipment in the first wave of the epidemic. It is understandable that I hired a lawyer for this, as the case was so politicised that I simply did not trust the goodwill of all involved in the proceedings,” said Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek regarding POP TV’s unfair reporting on the investigation of the purchase of medical equipment. Namely, commercial television once again worked in a way, which is in the domain of the judiciary, to denigrate the Minister and overthrow the Government. As Počivalšek pointed out that he had been informed about the house search by POP TV, because it apparently has the best information about what was happening at the NPU, POP TV responded to this and denied having the information about investigations at Počivalšek’s home in advance. Given the practice so far, when journalists have always been the first at the scene of criminal actions, their denial is all the more implausible.
Despite the fact that we are supposed to live in a democratic country and are all equal before the law, we can often see that certain people find themselves under the scrutiny of the television structure even before the police manage to get there. We reported that in the case of a house search at the home of the Minister of the Economy and Deputy Prime Minister Zdravko Počivalšek, journalists and cameramen of POP TV, led by Tjaša Slokar Kos, the wife of the infamous criminologist and executer of affairs Drago Kos, found themselves in the sites of the Minister purely by “coincidence”. Because Počivalšek called a spade a spade, they jumped on the trenches on POP TV and said: “This is not true, as we have repeatedly stated.”
“Obviously, I justifiably do not trust them, as information from law enforcement agencies flies to the public in a very manipulative way. For example, I was informed about the house search by POP TV, which obviously has the best information about what is happening at the NPU,” Minister of the Economy Zdravko Počivalšek responded to the media’s unfair reporting, asking whether they were bound by personal acquaintances and special ties. In recent years, there has been a lot of talk about the rule of law, and in this context it is important to point out the following: In Slovenia, courts judge. Instead, something else is happening in practice.
There is a political abuse of law enforcement agencies conducting public trials through the media. With incomplete and misleading information being made public through the media, some criminals are directing public opinion to a pre-trial conviction. This is unacceptable. “Why did my phone had to be send abroad for unlocking? As part of the investigation, I handed them the phone without hesitation.” If they invited him for a chat, he would also unlock his phone, as he has nothing to hide. However, the NPU did not call him or talk to him directly about it.
Instead, they gave the phone to a private Israeli company to unlock it, which is worrying. “After all, I am the Deputy Prime Minister and state secrets could be on the phone. This is a completely reckless move by NPU criminals. I know that I am the key political target of those who want to overthrow the government at any cost.” After their plan to remove him with the report of the Court of Audit failed, and when the report of the CPC did not help them in any way, they are now continuing with the last procedure and delaying it.
Let’s remember. As in the case of the house search at Počivalšek’s home, it was similar in the case of the search at the headquarters of Derby company. According to our source, the police were overtaken by the POP TV team because the owner Izet Rastoder simply did not show a willingness to “pay” something to Kos. On January 30th last year, in the early morning hours, fully armed police officers with armoured vehicles broke into Letališka cesta in Ljubljana, where the Derby warehouse is located, and soon after the media headlines were full of speculations that the illicit drug cocaine was found there. At that time, the police were still firmly controlled by the government of Marjan Šarec. But the media did not present to the public that before the action itself, as countless times before, the POP TV reporter team was on standby again, as it was there before the arrival of criminals, which once more explains the police’s close involvement with the largest commercial television. The police denied the presence of the media before their arrival, but witnesses say otherwise. It should also be mentioned that the company Derby has a history with POP TV, as years ago it stopped paying sponsorship money in the amount of 120 thousand euros for broadcasts of the Champions League and redirected this money to the account of competing television Sport Klub.
Portraying Počivalšek as dirty at all costs: Criminalists on POP TV direct public opinion and procrastinate with investigation
“I will repeat this once again, I have not done anything illegal in the process of purchasing medical equipment, and therefore I demand that all procedures be speeded up and allow me to finally clear my name, which was tarnished due to politicising procurement at a time when the whole world fought for equipment.” Instead of NPU criminals playing through POP TV, they should do their job and either complete the process or put their arguments on the table.
In one of his interviews, Prime Minister Janez Janša spoke about how Kos is wagging his finger at the current Government. “Through his wife, who is the editor-in-chief of the news programme on Pop TV, he does this practically every day through the screens of the said television. Kos from the Vič-Holmec affair or the fake Peter from Sova, as we know him from the Depala vas affair, or the realiser of the big bang from the Patria affair, is one of those faces of the deep state who are worried that they will be left without their privileges,” Janša pointed out, reminding of his invoices issued to the NLB Bank, where he withdrew the monthly salary of an ordinary citizen within a few hours. Janša emphasises that they are afraid that they would not be held accountable for the illegal work they have done in the past. “It is true, however, that with several decades of staffing first-class criminal police and prosecutors in both institutions, there are many who do not work for the Slovenian democracy, but for the deep state of Kosovo,” he was clear.
After the new Government took office, POP TV turned on SDS MP Franc Breznik, who himself experienced first-hand what it is like to become the target of a media assassination. Interestingly, it all happened when he was leaving Derby, where he was arranging a donation for humanitarian organisations in his municipality of Lenart. As he slightly exceeded the speed limit while driving, selected media were informed about it. Of course, this happened even before the Minister of the Interior himself knew about it. They did not stop there, as media attacks on other members of the ministerial team soon followed, from Počivalšek, to Aleksandra Pivec, Aleš Hojs, etc.
The fact that the POP TV team often “accidentally” appears where house searches take place shows that the fourth branch is even more active. Especially when it comes to those following the deep country at will. All in all, it is not all that surprising, there has never been a major affair in the country without Kos, it is not that much of a surprise.
