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Slovenian PM graft case reaches Van Rompuy

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Published 11 January 2013, updated 14 January 2013

Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša, who is under pressure to resign over allegations he violated financial disclosure rules, has put European Council President Herman Van Rompuy in an embarrassing situation by publishing a statement saying the European leader had given Janša his “personal support”.

The prime minister's office said in a statement that Janša and Van Rompuy spoke by telephone on Thursday (10 January) and portrayed the conversation as a gesture of support for the embattled Slovenian leader.

“The President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, today called the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Janša, and expressed his personal support in connection with recent political developments in Slovenia. He stressed the importance of political stability in times when vital reforms and measures of strategic importance to the state are being adopted,” the Slovenian statement reads.

Dirk De Baker, Van Rompuy’s spokesperson, confirmed that a telephone call had taken place between the Council president and Janša. 

“That phone call was one of a series to other European leaders regarding the succession of [Jean-Claude] Juncker as chair of the Europgroup. It is one of the series of phone calls the president of the European Council gave in that context. The president never interferes in national politics,” De Backer said.

Asked if a statement such as the one published on the Slovenian website should not have been agreed bilaterally, he said he would not comment any further.

According to EurActiv sources, Van Rompuy’s staff was taken by surprise by the Slovenian statement and learned about it Thursday night, when Slovenian journalists first called for confirmation.

Janša, who is affiliated with the centre-right European People's Party (EPP), was accused by the Slovenian anti-corruption agency of failing to report €210,000 in private assets in accordance with the government's financial disclosure rules.

Some of his own allies urged the prime minister to step down.

Zoran Janković, the leader of the opposition party Positive Slovenia (PS), was also accused of failing to disclose assets.

EurActiv.com

COMMENTS

  • Our prime minister lies about too many things. This was just one of his many shameless attempts. He is one of the main reasons our political space is so divided and torn apart. His main weapon are accusations against his political opponents and many of them are still based on post second world war crimes that happened in Yugoslavia which were terrible indeed but I dont want to pay for them anymore because I was not part of it. He doesnt let us live for the future but rather drags his people back into the past. And needless to say he plays main role in countless corruption and political affairs without any consequences in court. This must end, people are on the streets but instead of listening to his own people he rather calls us zombies and left winged extremists. His cynicism is just endless and this must end.

    By :
    Ivan
    - Posted on :
    11/01/2013
  • Rly Louis? Not only do all citizens of "western democracies" know Slovenia exists, they also unilaterally and explicitly support Janez Jansa? Keeping fingers crossed for a Slovenian Nobel Peace Prize victory.

    By :
    Raiden
    - Posted on :
    11/01/2013
  • Nobody is above the law, should Slovenian PM be found guilty of missconduct he should resign. Although I have a strong feeling that support from right wing clerics including his excelency Pope will follow soon.

    By :
    Kekec
    - Posted on :
    11/01/2013
  • @ Louis
    I see you understand slovene, which is a rare feat for someone from a western democracy (google translate has problems with kljukec). Also, you seem to be very emotionally involved. Idk, just seems strange.

    By :
    Nekdo
    - Posted on :
    11/01/2013
  • Slovenia is lost in the wilderness. We ordinary Slovenians have only Europe to rely on to put pressure on our currupt politicians (every single one of them!), who are trying hard, to preserve status quo under the current nationalistic/socialistic paradigms, which have kept this country in a state of hardline mass stupidity and economic exploitation since WW2.

    United States of Europe NOW!

    By :
    Ordinary Nimda
    - Posted on :
    11/01/2013
  • they can have him... cheap.. we'll throw in a few millions to sweeten the deal, if only they would take him... please...

    By :
    pissedoff slovenian
    - Posted on :
    11/01/2013
  • Only the far right leaders support him, people like the PM of Hungary. In a normal democracy he would resign in shame.

    By :
    Klemen
    - Posted on :
    11/01/2013
  • I hear that he still didn't resign. That has to be quite embarassing.

    By :
    Pete
    - Posted on :
    12/01/2013
  • Before you comment on this article so secularely, Louis, I would suggest you learn something about the country you're reffering your comments about. Firstly, living in the country with such prime minister is one thing, looking it from outside is another. The statement that people of Slovenia should accept illegal actions of their prime minister made by you purely on what some foreign politician says is absurd and truely...well, let's be frank, illiterate.
    Does the fact that politicians from his own party are ashamed of his actions says anything to you?
    Well, perhaps you just forgot that prime minister was not elected by popular vote but came into power due to a previous government failure.
    Or maybe you forgot that the government suppose to work FOR the people not for their own interest as thep rimer minister does.
    Just naively noding to what other minsters say about internal affairs of some country without any background (on the side of Van Rompuy or you) is shocking.

    By :
    Lora
    - Posted on :
    12/01/2013
  • If all western democraties are like ours in Slovenia where lies and corruption rules than god help western civilization.

    By :
    Firewall
    - Posted on :
    12/01/2013
  • Louis, you should improve your English first ;)

    By :
    Jan
    - Posted on :
    12/01/2013
  • Jan-
    And Slovenian probably, too.

    By :
    wat
    - Posted on :
    12/01/2013
  • Louis: yes, we know, he keeps telling us so. As he told us about Van Rompuy.

    By :
    remi
    - Posted on :
    12/01/2013
  • Louis, who cares what other democracies think about him, people in Slovenia don't support him and that is what matters!

    By :
    Zane's supporer
    - Posted on :
    12/01/2013
  • Yes Louis you're smart beyond imaginations. You should simply keep your mouth shut.
    Just another lie from our prime minister..

    By :
    Luco
    - Posted on :
    12/01/2013
  • @Louis - Cornix cornici oculos non effodiet (ali po domače: vrana vrani ne izkljuje oči ;)

    By :
    Siuol
    - Posted on :
    12/01/2013
  • Sooner or later Eu politicians will find out who the f... is Janez Jansa. (Arms dealing, stealing, lying, ordering murders are just some of his hobbies )

    By :
    Alex
    - Posted on :
    12/01/2013
  • Slovenia is a small beautiful country with beautiful nature and good people. Our problem is only kotupt political elite, which manages over 80% of our economy (just with government funds). This economy can not open his wings, until this is resolved.
    Report of Transparency International, the World Bank, the OECD report, the report on the judiciary, etc. .. Show-proving these problems.
    Slovenians are good, conserve and creative people, which is reflected in the banks' balance sheets, etc. .. Problems that we have in the banks, the economy and development stalling, the only political elites without vision and management skills.
    Slovenians ask the international community to help us in their abilities, help solve these problems. Please expand this information, perform the pressures on individual political representatives in your area, etc. ..
    Now in Slovenia waking consciousness, what democracy is, how it is used, what is its mission and its benefits. Daily movements are created, which are more powerful with each passing day and with a cleaner vision of a better future.
    Please help us by your ability

    By :
    R-SLO
    - Posted on :
    12/01/2013
  • Oh, Louis, you poor dumb bstd..... Maybe some day you will realise, what you said....

    By :
    Bljah Vljah
    - Posted on :
    12/01/2013
  • Surely they like... but they don't live in Slovenia! get it?! they don't! It's just like you don't care what's happening in Afganistan but if you'd live there you'd care. If you'd be still alive.... get it!! ?? !!!!

    By :
    urmymoon
    - Posted on :
    12/01/2013
  • Janez iz kavca komentira :D.

    You should simply keep you mouth shot. Pew pew. Shut.

    By :
    Luc
    - Posted on :
    12/01/2013
  • Louis, western democracies don't support prime ministers like Jansa, because he is a thief and according to this article also a manipulative liar.
    So please feel free to just quit with statements that are offensive towards the honest working people.

    Umsko prizadeto dete janshizma.

    By :
    Person
    - Posted on :
    12/01/2013
  • As a slovenian i can tell that this news is nothing new. The PM and the leader of opposition party Zoran Jankovic both couln't remember where did they get more than 30.000€ of cash that they hidden from the anti-corruption agency!!!
    PM lied about the value of his car, he said he bought it for 14.000€ but the real value was 40.000€.

    Today, instead of resigning they both are claiming that anti-corruption agency is a fraud.

    As you can see the slovenian polititians have no moral ethic and they are prepared to do what ever it takes to stay in power!!! They are stealing taxpayers money for years!!!

    I sincerely hope that the EU will help us (the slovenian citizens) to get rid of corrupted politions like PM Janez Jansa and Zoran Jankovic, so that we can hope for better future in our corrupted country Slovenia!

    By :
    tspace
    - Posted on :
    12/01/2013
  • Not all believe in what you write from Slovenia, the fact is that the Left wants to overthrow the government with a very despicable act approaches. Opposition champion Jankovic, who he actually benefited the taxpayers' money is left justified and condemns it gives undue as victims, alongside the premiere of government Mr Janša, who Korupcijaska Commission, which consists of left political elite unjust condemnation of corruption, it is not fault. I was very unhappy when I see here on this website, how individuals unilaterally slander. The truth is that just when we started to go better with the help of corrupt commission also want to create more chaos, and especially to defend something that is long dead. It is true that some individual demolition left the group, the government, go and excite and intimidation of opposite-minded individuals and their wives and children, which is already in their homes.

    By :
    Zdravko Perger
    - Posted on :
    13/01/2013
  • Political analyst Bostjan M. Turk has shed some light on the past of the President and Vice-President, Goran Klemencic and PRAPROTNIK arm, and said that the two of them, Janez Janša, because of his relationship to him would not be allowed to decide. About this report, the Commission said that it is much more than a trial, it is a public lynching. Bostjan M. Turk believes that this was a planned action left, the old LDS, which is dissatisfied with Jankovic, a great moment also chose to slur premiere. Consequences will grozotne in his opinion, "this coalition is the only one that provides a standard Slovenia existence in the euro area and the way of life that we have." With its downfall, therefore, the fate of the game in the country, believes Turk.

    By :
    Zdravko Perger
    - Posted on :
    13/01/2013
  • @Zdravko Perger
    Political analyst Bostjan M. Turk is a blind follower of corrupted PM jansa and his statements have no political or moral values.

    Jansa & Jankovic are just the tip of the iceberg of corruption in Slovenia and they both should resign and never again be in the politics again.

    Until we will have thiefs like Jansa and Jankovic in the politics, Slovenia will be known as a corrupted country, where politicians can do whatever they want to do and never pay the price for it!!!

    By :
    tspace
    - Posted on :
    13/01/2013
  • I won't say anything bad about Mr. Janša! With his statements and acts he's his own best advertisement!

    By :
    VesnaZ
    - Posted on :
    13/01/2013
  • Political analyst Bostjan M. Turk has no credibility! In my youth I personally had the displeasure of listening to his diatribes in the two meetings of the Union of the Socialist Youth of Slovenia (ZSMS) that I had the misfortune to have had to attend. In those times he was a fervent supporter of communism!

    By :
    Jan Kalin
    - Posted on :
    13/01/2013
  • Dear people from Slovenia,
    Problems of Slovenian government is no. 1 issue in EU, so please inform us more about that problem.
    Thx

    By :
    daniel
    - Posted on :
    13/01/2013
  • Well, it should also be said that PM Jansa beside being a corruptive politician is also a pathological liar!
    He said on its party website that The President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy has given PM Jansa his personal support in this matter!!
    Of course this is not true and Mr. Herman Van Rompuy has said he has not given any support to him!!!

    So based on that, you can see how corrupted the slovenian politician Janez Jansa is and that Slovenia will drown in the corruption if EU will not help us (slovenian citizens) to get rid of such liars, thiefs that are in power.

    Of course, having said that, I also hope the EU will force our opposition leader and his followers to resign as well!!!

    We need a fresh start in order to succeed, but without these corrupted politicians!!!

    By :
    tspace
    - Posted on :
    13/01/2013
  • The current state in Slovenia is that we have alot of people in the parliament convicted of finicial crime, yet they still sit there getting paid for doing nothing. Same with our PM. 200k€ aint nothing compared what he really has. You think he would leave traces of big amounts of money? This is just the top of the iceberg. He sold weapons to Croatia and Bosnia durring the war in Yugoslavia. He was a dedicated communist. Now he is just mentaly ill in my opionion. Shizophrenic of some sort

    By :
    Kaj pa vam dogaja
    - Posted on :
    13/01/2013
  • YES YES

    By :
    Borat
    - Posted on :
    13/01/2013
  • 1) The leading party (or the PM himself) should surely ask Mr. Van Rompuy for his permission to publish his words of support.

    2) However, this article does not seem fair to me. Let me explain. In Slovenia, the are two big parties: the rulling "SDS" (with PM Jansa as the president) and the biggest party in oposition "PS" (with Mr. Jankovic, the major of Ljubljana, as the president).

    a) Mr. Jansa is accused of misreporting (reporting too late or failing to explain the source of income in an satisfying way) 210.000 EUR of his incomes or expenditures. The anti-corruption agency states that almost half of this amount (more precizely, 100.000 EUR) stems from selling his piece of land (1.5 hectare in a tourist place namen Trenta, at the the Soča river) for an overestimated price (cca. 130.000 EUR) to one of the construction companies. The selling price (in 2005) was about 130.000 EUR. Thus, they claim that the land was worth only 30.000 EUR! Many of us would buy it for this price - in 2005 or now, when the prices have somewhat fallen ;-). Still, some connected transactions seem to be suspicious and I hope that everything will go to the court of justice.

    2) Mr. Jankovic, the president of the largest party in oposition and the major of the capital (Ljubljana) has failed to sumbit an underlying legal contract for 2.4 million EUR. HE HAS RECEIVED 2.4 MIO EUR (INDIRECTLY FROM HIS SON's COMPANY) FROM A COMPANY THAT IS DOING BUSINESS WITH MUNICIPALITY LJUBLJANA. He is not prepared to resign as a major and actually, there is also no strong pressure for him to do so. He only FROZEN his position of the president of the biggest party in oposition, that's all.

    3) I am affraid the epilogue might be the fall of the current government and big comeback of the socialists (ex-communists) and continuation of their expensive borrowing (as seen in the period 2008-2011) and protection of huge public sector and important role of government as a owner of main banks and several companies(and thus continuation of corruption)...

    By :
    Justice
    - Posted on :
    14/01/2013
  • Hej, I lived in socialist Jugoslavija and I can compare life in both political sistems, you who did not, you can not. Once worker was mister, now he is slave. Once everbody could study, now more and more just reach people. Once we had modern hospital in Ljubljana by european standard, now there is less and less money for it. People, I want my socialism back! But - with freedom of speach and with other human rights... I want democratic socialism! Belive me, there is many people here, who want the same. You on the west were manipulated of what socialism was (is).

    By :
    Marjeta
    - Posted on :
    17/01/2013
  • @Justice

    PM Jansa who is ex-communist should resign from its position. his party S(d)S favors nazi methods, such as full control over police, prosecutions, courts and they eliminated everyone from the party that tries to think with his own head. In other words, if you do not agree with Jansa get the F. out of his party. It's his way only!!!
    So in general view of all normal Slovenian ppl, S(d)S party is worse than ex-communist party or nazi SS!!!

    We sincerely hope that the justice will be done and PM jansa along with jankovic will be found guilty of corruption and will share prison cell together for a long time!!!

    Only then Slovenia will be able to have a real democracy which we all want!!!

    But until the ideological S(d)S party will be in power, Slovenia has no Future!!!
    S(d)S followers are blind and many of them would put gasoline on their body and lit it up to support PM jansa..these are the S(d)S followers!!!

    By :
    tspace
    - Posted on :
    17/01/2013
  • Janša and Janković indeed are just the tip of the iceberg. What is underneath is the whole system of values that dominated Slovenian sphere of politics and business. Corruption is something you simply needed to adopt if you wanted to compete in certain business (construction for example.), like it or not. And it didn't seem such a big problem until Slo was on its exemplary path of prosperity - until 2008. I'm actually glad that the crisis happened and the shit has surfaced. The question is whether people will be able to see the real reasons behind it and deal it smartly (erradicate bad habits and learn from it), or will it be the Janša way (turning the citizens agaist each other on the basis of his cheap conspiracy claims).

    By :
    Jacob
    - Posted on :
    17/01/2013
  • Janša and Janković indeed are just the tip of the iceberg. What is underneath is the whole system of values that dominated Slovenian sphere of politics and business. Corruption is something you simply needed to adopt if you wanted to compete in certain business (construction for example.), like it or not. And it didn't seem such a big problem until Slo was on its exemplary path of prosperity - until 2008. I'm actually glad that the crisis happened and the shit has surfaced. The question is whether people will be able to see the real reasons behind it and deal it smartly (erradicate bad habits and learn from it), or will it be the Janša way (turning the citizens agaist each other on the basis of his cheap conspiracy claims).

    By :
    Jacob
    - Posted on :
    17/01/2013

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