By: C. R., STA
SDS, based on the findings of the Court of Audit, which identified several irregularities in its audit of last year’s state budget final account, is calling for the resignation of Finance Minister Klemen Boštjančič. “The findings are burdensome and clearly show a non-transparent use of public funds and actions in violation of the law,” said MP Rado Gladek.
“SDS MPs continuously point out irregularities and illegalities in the use of public funds. We submit written and oral parliamentary questions, convene sessions of working bodies, and file interpellations, but despite clear arguments, nothing changes. The coalition usually responds with the cliché that we are just scoring political points,” emphasised the MP from the largest opposition party at today’s press conference in Ljubljana.
“If our arguments are not enough, the coalition certainly cannot ignore the findings of the Court of Audit, which conducted a review of the draft final account of the state budget for 2023 and the correctness of its execution,” he emphasised, adding that the findings are burdensome and clearly demonstrate non-transparent use of public funds and actions in violation of the law.
Gladek highlighted the purchase of a “ruin” on Litijska Street, for which neither the legal basis nor the amount of obligations was verified before the payments, and also noted that the purchase of an office building for the needs of judicial authorities was not properly planned in the state budget, summarising some of the findings of the auditors.
As he added, the government has additionally burdened citizens and businesses to fund the recovery after the floods, while it would have been logical to collect these funds in a special account, which is also noted by the Court of Audit. “The law also provided for the establishment of a special fund to ensure transparent spending and acquisition of funds, but, as the Court of Audit points out, this fund has not yet been established,” the MP said.
“The audit report also touches on the purchase of 13,000 computers, about which so much has already been said that it is probably unnecessary to say more. The responsibility is clear, both minister and the finance minister,” Gladek emphasised.
“The fact is that Finance Minister Klemen Boštjančič is responsible for the work of the Ministry of Finance, as clearly and unequivocally determined by the Government Act. It is also a fact that the Ministry of Finance bears the primary concern and responsibility for the lawful use of public funds,” he emphasised.
The SDS parliamentary group is calling for an urgent session of the National Assembly’s Finance Committee, as, according to Gladek, there has been enough pretence. “The findings are clear, and we call on Finance Minister Boštjančič to resign. If the minister does not resign, we call on the Prime Minister to propose his dismissal to the National Assembly,” Gladek said.
SDS will also consider the next steps. “As you know, an interpellation is a somewhat lengthy process, but in SDS we believe that action must be taken immediately,” he concluded.
Boštjančič rejects SDS’s call to resign
Finance Minister Klemen Boštjančič rejects SDS’s call for his resignation. He sees it as an attempt to divert attention, as, according to him, the economic indicators in the country are quite favourable and very different from what the opposition is trying to portray.
SDS called for Boštjančič’s resignation considering the findings of the Court of Audit, which identified several irregularities in its audit of last year’s state budget final account, including in the purchase of a building on Litijska Street for judicial purposes.
“It is certainly not about violating rules, but rather a difference in interpretation between the Ministry of Finance and the Court of Audit,” Boštjančič emphasised on the sidelines of today’s coalition summit at Brdo pri Kranju. According to his explanation, the Public Finance Act does not define what constitutes a predictable or unpredictable purpose. In the ministry’s view, the latter applied in this case.
He added that since 2010, the Court of Audit has found in every report that part of the projects or funds from budget reserves were reallocated inappropriately. He cited an example of funds for the Italian national community’s real estate in early 2022. At that time, the funds were also reallocated from the budget reserves, and the Court of Audit later found that the reallocation was inappropriate, like the Litijska case, he explained.
“Who was the minister at that time? It was not me yet; I believe it was a minister from SDS,” Boštjančič said.
The finance minister believes that the various proposals and calls from the opposition in recent days and weeks are attempts to divert attention.
“Just today, at the government session, the Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development (UMAR) presented its autumn report on economic trends, which is quite favourable for Slovenia. It shows that we have one of the lowest inflation rates in Europe, one of the lowest unemployment rates, and in terms of economic growth, we are still ranked in the upper half of Europe. Of course, we would like it to be even higher, and much of today’s discussion will be devoted to that,” he said.
“The data and figures show something completely different from what the opposition has been trying to throw at us or prove. This is how I see these calls as well,” he concluded.
