By: G. B.
The preliminary elections indeed seem to be approaching. At least, that is how it looks, given that the powers behind the scenes have ordered that Robert Golob’s wings be clipped.
The police, which had been investigating former Interior Minister Tatjana Bobnar’s claims about Prime Minister Robert Golob’s interference in police work, have reportedly filed criminal charges against him, according to TV Slovenia (TVS). The Specialised State Prosecutor’s Office has confirmed receiving the charges. Golob’s lawyer, Stojan Zdolšek, however, is convinced that there are no criminal elements in Golob’s statements.
The police have been investigating Bobnar’s claims since her resignation nearly two years ago, says TVS.
Tatjana Bobnar, while still serving as Minister, informed the prosecutor’s office and the anti-corruption commission about alleged pressures on her and the then-acting Police Director General, Boštjan Lindav, as she sensed that there could be grounds for suspected criminal activity. She subsequently elaborated on these allegations before a parliamentary inquiry commission. “Prime Minister Golob informed me that Boštjan Lindav had failed in his task of cleaning up the police and that this amounted to a betrayal; he specifically mentioned Darko Muženič and David Antolovič. I sensed that the Prime Minister was in direct contact with the Director of the National Investigation Office,” Bobnar stated regarding her interactions with Muženič.
Prime Minister Golob responded the next day, calling the allegations hallucinations. “The only truth she spoke was that we agreed back in May, before she was appointed, that she had one task, which was to clean the police of Janšists,” TVS reminded, referencing Golob’s earlier statements. He announced that he would also testify before the commission and claimed that he had enough witnesses and evidence to demonstrate how little truth Bobnar had conveyed.
Golob has not yet appeared before the inquiry commission. It can be inferred that he has spoken with investigators, as the prosecutor’s office notified the anti-corruption commission at the end of August that there were no longer any reservations about Prime Minister Golob being informed of the anti-corruption commission’s case regarding this matter. The police conducted their proceedings under the direction of the competent prosecutor’s office and concluded them with a criminal complaint, as reported by TVS.
Meanwhile, Zdolšek stated for STA: “In a case like this, which involves an obvious attack on a politician who was a police officer and Minister of the Interior, the prosecutor’s office should be very cautious in handling the complaint. It could quickly turn out that some of the claims that are the basis of the complaint are not true. For example, the one about the Prime Minister’s involvement in the arrest of spies.” The lawyer is convinced that there are no elements of a crime in the statements made by the Prime Minister.
TVS also notes that the prosecutor’s office now has three options. It can file a direct indictment. If it believes that it needs additional evidence, it can initiate a judicial investigation. Alternatively, it can also dismiss the complaint.