WEBVTT

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Hello and welcome
to our press conference

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in the wake of the 27th
regular government meeting.

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Justice Minister Švarc Pipan,
State Secretary at the Interior

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Ministry Lobnikar, and State
Secretary in the Prime Minister's

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Office Kociper will all take part.

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I first invite Minister Dominika
Švarc Pipan to take the stage.

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Hello.

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In my statement today,
I'll first present our general

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position regarding the statement by
the acting Director General of the Police,

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which was received
by the Prime Minister.

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I'll also express my views
on substantive criticism

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from the Interior Minister's memo
to the Prime Minister,

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particularly those relating
to the rule of law

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and the legal relationships between
various state bodies,

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as well as the relationship
of the Police Force

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and the executive branch.

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First, I'll address the statement by
the acting Director General of the Police.

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I'd like to point out
that, in accordance

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with the Constitution
and legislation, the Prime Minister

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heads and directs the government,
helps ensure political

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and administrative unity,
coordinates his ministers,

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represents the government,
and chairs its meetings.

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The Prime Minister is responsible
for the entire government,

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while the government is responsible
for the policies of the state

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and for everything that comes
under the state's jurisdiction.

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With this in mind,
the Prime Minister

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can request information about
matters under his responsibility,

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including the political
accountability of ministers.

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It is the Prime Minister's
constitutional responsibility

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to name and dismiss
ministers.

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Only if he is well informed
can the Prime Minister

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react if, for instance, a minister
isn't doing his job

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appropriately or at all,

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especially if this is connected
with actions that violate

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legal norms from the point-of-view
of ethics and integrity.

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Such actions include alleged
political pressure from government

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officials on state authorities.

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The Prime Minister must be informed
of such allegations,

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so he can act in accordance
with his responsibilities.

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That's what the Prime Minister asked,
not demanded, but asked for,

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such a report from the acting
Director General of the Police.

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After reviewing the report that
was unveiled to the public today,

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we've concluded that there
was no political pressure

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on the operations of the Police,
and consequently no pressures

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endangering the autonomy
of the Police Force,

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as guaranteed by our constitutional
and legal system.

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I'd also like to comment
on some of the criticism

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from the Interior Minister's
memo, especially

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those about the need for
personnel autonomy of the Police

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from politics, as well as
the expressed expectation

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that Interior Ministers should be
able to select

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the acting Director General 
of the Police independently.

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First, I'll comment on the notion
that the Interior Minister

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should be able to independently
name the Police Chief.

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We should point out that
the legislation that governs

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appointments to this position,
namely the Act on Police

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Organization and Activity
and the Public Employees Act,

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quite unambiguously states
that the Director General

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is named by the government
based on a recommendation

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by the Interior Ministry,
so the appointment is made,

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or not made, by the government
as a collective body,

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and not by a minister as an official
representing that body.

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The expectation by the Interior
Minister that she should have been

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able to choose the Police Chief
herself with her team,

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or that the government should
automatically have accepted

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her proposal has no
basis in relevant legislation

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or in jurisprudence as established
by the Supreme, Constitutional,

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and Administrative Courts.

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Quite the opposite. In accordance
with current legislation,

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the government has the right
to reject a candidate

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or not appoint him.

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Regarding the views
on the politicization of the Police

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Force in the context of
the appointment of the Director

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General and the view that
the Force should be autonomous

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in personnel matters,
I would just like to point out

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that the Police Force is an entity
within the Interior Ministry.

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As such, it's not an independent
state body

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like the Prosecutor's Office,
for instance.

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The Police also doesn't
have complete legally defined

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autonomy in relation
to who happens to be in power.

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This is limited to operative
autonomy,

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to actions
in specific cases.

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In response to the allegations
from the statements and memo

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by the Interior Minister,
it's important to note

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that, contrary to the criticism,
the relevant legislation

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doesn't grant the Police Force
autonomy

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in personnel matters
from whomever

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happens to be in power.
Quite the opposite.

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The relevant legislation
expressly gives the power

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to name the Director General
to political authorities.

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First, the Interior Minister issues
her proposal,

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and then the government makes
the final

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decision based
on the Act on Nominations.

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A positive professional evaluation
of a candidate

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is only a part of a regulated
nomination process.

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It's a prerequisite without which
a candidate cannot be appointed,

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and it's a prerequisite that
is taken seriously

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by the government in such
nomination processes,

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but it doesn't mean that
the government

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is obliged to name a candidate
with a positive evaluation.

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I'd like to emphasize
that even if the Interior

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Minister had the authority
to independently choose

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the Director General of the Police,
such an appointment

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would still be political
in nature.

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Ministers aren't independent
experts, bur rather political

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appointees. In short,
the relevant legislation

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gives the government the right
to have its say

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on who the Director General
of the Police is going to be.

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This is an established practice
in accordance with our laws,

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the Constitution, and the democratic
balance of powers principle.

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All of this is also
based on jurisprudence

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established by the Supreme,
Constitutional, and Administrative

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Courts. This means that, when it
comes to nominating not just

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the Director General but all
the highest appointed officials,

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our legal system foresees some
effect from those in political power

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on administrative
personnel decisions.

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For comparison,
we can note

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that the intent to allow
some political influence

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on administrative
appointments

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is also present in our legislation’s
provision for the political

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dismissal of the highest-ranked
officials within a year

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of their appointment.

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The decision about such a dismissal
is also made by the government

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on the recommendation
by the Interior Minister.

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This is the basis on which
the current government,

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based on the Interior
Minister's proposal,

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dismissed the previous
Director of Police.

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The Minister who made
that recommendation

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did not criticize the legally
permissible political dismissal

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at that time as either unlawful
or in conflict with the principle

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of equal protection or other
principles of the rule of law.

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We also didn't hear any concerns
about the politicization

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of the Police Force then.
This is understandable

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because such appointments,
non-appointments,

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or dismissals don't violate
the rule of law.

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Quite the opposite. They're
established practice

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specifically set out by legislation
in the context

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of our democratic system
of governance

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and the balance of power.
Thank you.

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Our next speaker is State
Secretary at the Interior Ministry

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Branko Lobnikar.
Go ahead, please.

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Thank you and hello.

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I would just like to add three
points to what the Justice Minister

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has told you, so that you have
a more detailed explanation.

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The relationship between
the government and the ministry

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and a constituent body
like the police

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is exemplary.
The law gives a right and obligation

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to the minister of the interior to
give directions to the government,

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to exercise control
through their organisations

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and to also ask
the police to explain

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their decisions.

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We need to understand
that the legislation

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in written in a way
that the government and the minister

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as its member can direct
the work of the police

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and the law also ensures

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that the police can carry out
their tasks independently.

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In this regard,

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there isn't anything missing
in the legislation.

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This is why the government,

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the PM
and the minister of the interior

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can demand
from anybody to explain

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how the police work,
so that the government,

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the PM or the minister
of the interior are briefed

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on problems, challenges

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and the situations
the government must manage.

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There is nothing wrong
if the PM wants

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to talk
to the chief of police.

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The government can only work

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if they communicate with the bodies
that carry out the legislation.

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The government
must communicate

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with the bodies responsible
to carry out the legislation.

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It is expected
from the chief of police

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that they know
the legislation

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and tell the government
when they cross the line

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and don't do anything
that they aren't authorised to do.

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If the PM asks
the chief of police to talk,

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this is not political interference,
but a normal way

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to carry out authority
in a democratic society.

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I would like to say
one last thing.

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The protection
of protected persons

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is also the task
of the police.

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They have done
it excellently,

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but the organisation
of the protection

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depends on the security
of the protected person

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and the protected person

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has to trust the people
protecting them.

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This is especially true
for the PM

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who travels around a lot

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and has to trust
their security

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to be able to work.

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The way the protection of the PM
of the Republic of Slovenia

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is carried out is specified
in the legislation.

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It is carried out by the police
that do it effectively.

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This system isn't new.

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It was used
for one of the former PMs

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which means it is the normal way
of carrying out the protection.

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The police that carry out
the protection

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and the protected person agree

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how the police can carry out their
tasks professionally and legally,

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so that the protected person
will be able to do their job safely.

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It is unusual though,

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that we publicly discuss

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the protection and the names
of the security guards.

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It is the task of the police

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and the confidentiality

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of these activities and of
the organisation of the protection

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is key to provide the security
of the protected person.

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I want to insure
to Slovenian citizens

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that nothing unusual
is going on,

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the system is normal
and works well,

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the police are capable
of carrying out their tasks

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and politics
doesn't interfere

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with how they do their job.

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Thank you. -Thank you. I give
the floor to the state secretary

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at the Office of the PM,
Maša Kociper.

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Hello, everyone.

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I want to respond
in the name of the Office of the PM

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to the report of the acting
chief of police Mr. Lindav.

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The PM asked him to tell him

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who, when and in what way
interfered with the police work.

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He did it and today,
the report became public

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as the PM
wanted and expected.

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If, considering
the pompous announcement,

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you expected the report
to be full of events

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when someone
pressured others,

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now you can see
it isn't the case.

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We said yesterday
that the report says

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that in this mandate
no political official,

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minister or state secretary
exerted pressure on police work.

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Nobody wanted to get information
or have influence on procedures.

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Although the report is public,
I shall explain a few things.

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We can see in report that acting
Police Commissioner Mr. Lindav

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as a form of pressure sees
a conversation a Prime Minister,

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Dr. Golob, who was nominated then,
on May 31st.

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When a minister
with acting director Lindav

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came to Mr. Golob
for an initial conversation

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about director's nomination by the
government on its first session.

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I think it is normal that the Prime
Minister wanted to meet them

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and check, if they present
the same politics

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as they have promised
to their constituency.

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If something bothered the minister

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or now acting director,
they could've chosen

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not to accept the function.

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To highlight an innocent
conversation as a form of pressure,

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is quite unusual,
to put it mildly.

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From that conversation we can see
that the Prime Minister inquired,

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when he can expect a nomination
of ex director Mr. Darko Muženič.

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Those, who follow this story,
know that Mr. Muženič succeeded

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with his complaints
in the court.

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The Prime Minister expected
those decrees to come in effect.

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He asked,
when this should happen.

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As we can see in the report,
there is a part on the protection.

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Mr. Lindav obviously does not
agree with this form of security.

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I would like to emphasize that
this is not new form of protection,

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it was brought into force
by the government with a regulation.

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And it is important,
as an expert has said,

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that there is trust between the
security and a protected person.

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Mr. Lindav says in the report
that there is an agreement

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that they won't make additional
complications with a reassignment

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and that everybody
was relocated without any problems.

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It is quite surprising that in the
next sentence as a form of pressure

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and as a form of curtailment
of independent police work

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and political influence,
he shows this demand

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on changes to the workforce
in connection with the protection.

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Besides these three things, there is
a journalistic report mentioned.

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I'm not sure, what this has
to do with a pressure.

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In addition,
there is a statement

00:19:52.499 --> 00:19:56.412
that a Prime Minister
shouldn't communicate

00:19:56.686 --> 00:20:02.706
with Mr. Lindav directly. I think
that my colleague has explained it.

00:20:03.006 --> 00:20:07.212
The only issue in this report is
a conversation with a Prime Minister

00:20:07.386 --> 00:20:10.286
before he was even appointed.

00:20:10.719 --> 00:20:14.452
I suggest that the public,
media and everybody else decide,

00:20:14.646 --> 00:20:19.859
whether there was a big pressure
on independence and police work.

00:20:20.179 --> 00:20:25.252
Or somebody has confused a political
and a professional function.

00:20:25.526 --> 00:20:30.792
Thank you. -Thank you.
Gregor Drnovšek has a question.

00:20:33.052 --> 00:20:35.872
It can be a question
for all three.

00:20:36.106 --> 00:20:38.699
Mr. Lobnikar,
you are a state secretary

00:20:38.852 --> 00:20:40.772
at the Ministry of the Interior.

00:20:41.559 --> 00:20:47.039
If we understand correctly,
in this conflict you support

00:20:47.299 --> 00:20:49.252
the Prime Minister
and the government.

00:20:49.439 --> 00:20:54.426
Have you talked about it
with Ms. Bobnar privately?

00:20:54.706 --> 00:20:58.366
Are you a future
Minister of Internal Affairs?

00:20:58.532 --> 00:21:02.726
And secondly, is this
loss of confidence about protection

00:21:02.859 --> 00:21:04.599
connected with the fact

00:21:04.812 --> 00:21:08.266
that we could see photos
of family members in the past?

00:21:08.466 --> 00:21:11.966
Was this the reason
to change the decree

00:21:12.112 --> 00:21:14.952
and a form of protection?

00:21:15.892 --> 00:21:18.419
These are my first questions.

00:21:20.052 --> 00:21:25.139
Thank you. I am a state secretary
at Ministry of the Interior.

00:21:25.439 --> 00:21:29.786
My task is to implement the politics
of Ministry of the Interior.

00:21:30.006 --> 00:21:35.012
Also in relation to the authorities
in the composition of this Ministry.

00:21:36.826 --> 00:21:42.532
We are following
the politics adopted

00:21:42.806 --> 00:21:47.979
by the Ministry and the government
as well as our plan.

00:21:48.319 --> 00:21:52.092
I am here today
for one reason only,

00:21:52.239 --> 00:21:55.012
to explain the relation
between the Ministry,

00:21:55.179 --> 00:21:59.859
Minister as a political function
and an authority in the composition,

00:22:00.059 --> 00:22:03.059
which is represented
by the Police Commissioner.

00:22:03.286 --> 00:22:07.792
I'm not here as a potential
candidate for a new Minister.

00:22:08.012 --> 00:22:13.612
I am not a candidate for this
function, nobody promised it to me

00:22:13.786 --> 00:22:18.226
and I am here
as a state secretary only.

00:22:18.559 --> 00:22:21.192
We have to understand

00:22:21.406 --> 00:22:24.899
what is a function and a role
of a Police Commissioner.

00:22:25.112 --> 00:22:30.172
Police Commissioner is a guarantor
of functional independence

00:22:30.369 --> 00:22:32.302
and the professionalism
of the police.

00:22:32.436 --> 00:22:37.545
If he wants to be such,
he has to communicate

00:22:37.752 --> 00:22:41.412
with everybody that has
a political function in Slovenia.

00:22:41.585 --> 00:22:44.545
These are
a Minister of Internal Affairs,

00:22:44.712 --> 00:22:47.859
the government, the Prime Minister
and the parliament.

00:22:48.212 --> 00:22:52.532
In democratic societies
there is a way,

00:22:52.719 --> 00:22:57.985
how politics are adopted
and how they are implemented.

00:22:58.158 --> 00:23:02.739
Police Commissioner is thus
the main person in police

00:23:02.892 --> 00:23:07.732
and he ensures a professional
and legitimate performing of duties,

00:23:07.925 --> 00:23:13.066
which have to be carried out
in the accordance to the rules.

00:23:13.279 --> 00:23:15.939
At the same time,
it is a person that communicates

00:23:16.146 --> 00:23:22.399
with officials, such as
the Minister and the Prime Minister.

00:23:22.546 --> 00:23:28.752
He ensures that the information
are being transferred between them.

00:23:29.099 --> 00:23:35.686
All the other things
were not my concern today.

00:23:35.839 --> 00:23:41.939
I came just to explain that it is
a completely normal thing

00:23:42.352 --> 00:23:46.792
that a Police Commissioner
and a Minister for Internal Affairs,

00:23:46.972 --> 00:23:50.646
which is a political function,
talk about these issues,

00:23:50.812 --> 00:23:55.759
how to implement the politics,
adopted by the government.

00:23:56.139 --> 00:24:00.432
It depends
on the Police Commissioner

00:24:00.586 --> 00:24:04.872
to what extent he allows
the politics to influence

00:24:05.079 --> 00:24:07.386
the functioning of this authority.

00:24:07.652 --> 00:24:11.392
It is required by law

00:24:11.672 --> 00:24:16.392
that political authorities
don't have a right to influence

00:24:16.566 --> 00:24:18.746
the factual police tasks.

00:24:18.872 --> 00:24:23.559
They can't define who and
in what way should direct traffic

00:24:23.739 --> 00:24:28.659
on a certain crossroad,
but they can order a police

00:24:28.886 --> 00:24:33.199
that a security in traffic
is a priority to this government

00:24:33.379 --> 00:24:38.632
and demand from it to make a plan
and report on its implementation.

00:24:38.812 --> 00:24:41.792
Thank you. -You talk only
about a Mr. Lindav's letter,

00:24:42.019 --> 00:24:45.412
which we read today.
What about yesterday's letter

00:24:45.532 --> 00:24:50.252
from the Minister Ms. Bobnar?
There she estimated

00:24:50.412 --> 00:24:53.839
that there was a political pressure.
How do you comment that?

00:24:54.092 --> 00:24:59.846
I haven't seen the letter, before
it was sent to the Prime Minister.

00:25:00.000 --> 00:25:02.099
You wouldn't send it in that form?

00:25:02.220 --> 00:25:07.311
I haven't seen it and can't comment
on whether or not I would.

00:25:09.005 --> 00:25:14.016
Regarding the photos...
-Yes, I can give a short answer.

00:25:14.656 --> 00:25:17.099
In politics,
trust is extremely important.

00:25:17.220 --> 00:25:20.615
Each minister can choose
their own team that they trust,

00:25:20.736 --> 00:25:26.880
their cabinet, the Prime Minister
can choose his team and cabinet.

00:25:27.323 --> 00:25:30.305
I think we all understand
that trust is especially important

00:25:30.426 --> 00:25:34.129
in the relationship between a protected
person and his security guards.

00:25:34.250 --> 00:25:36.505
They are with him
and his family all the time,

00:25:36.626 --> 00:25:40.281
they accompany him on the road.
The Prime Minister is in the car a lot,

00:25:40.402 --> 00:25:42.370
he telephones different people.

00:25:42.491 --> 00:25:44.656
Trust is key.

00:25:44.777 --> 00:25:49.422
It's not just that at the time of the
Prime Minister's first visit abroad

00:25:49.543 --> 00:25:53.187
photos of his minor child surfaced,

00:25:53.308 --> 00:25:56.563
it's also that...
I can only say what I heard.

00:25:56.684 --> 00:26:02.802
That there have been
other cases of information leaks.

00:26:03.224 --> 00:26:10.297
Given that the service was once
already organised in this way,

00:26:10.418 --> 00:26:13.110
the decision was made
to organise it in this way.

00:26:13.231 --> 00:26:16.901
This means that the Prime Minister
is still protected by the police

00:26:17.022 --> 00:26:22.327
and that the law and all that
is necessary is still respected.

00:26:23.323 --> 00:26:26.198
Žana Vertačnik, Pop TV.
Perhaps a subquestion first.

00:26:26.319 --> 00:26:29.683
What kind
of information leaks exactly?

00:26:29.804 --> 00:26:37.077
You stated your opinion on specific
allegations about political pressure.

00:26:37.198 --> 00:26:43.418
What do you think about the Prime
Minister's request put to Mr Lindav,

00:26:43.539 --> 00:26:45.886
that something should be done
as soon as possible

00:26:46.007 --> 00:26:48.720
regarding the Director
of Nova Gorica Police Directorate?

00:26:48.841 --> 00:26:51.445
Do you find this controversial?

00:26:54.478 --> 00:26:56.078
I find it controversial

00:26:56.199 --> 00:26:59.885
that someone makes
a pompous announcement in public

00:27:00.006 --> 00:27:03.204
about the influence of politics
on the police, and then we find out

00:27:03.325 --> 00:27:07.501
that this concerns a conversation
before the start of the mandate

00:27:07.622 --> 00:27:11.814
in which the Prime Minister
apparently commented

00:27:12.438 --> 00:27:16.861
on the Director of Police Directorate
somewhere in Primorska.

00:27:16.982 --> 00:27:21.896
Whether this is influencing the
police, please judge for yourself.

00:27:22.017 --> 00:27:25.588
I can't comment on
who leaked the information.

00:27:25.709 --> 00:27:28.577
I don't even know.
I hope you understand.

00:27:28.698 --> 00:27:30.698
If I may.

00:27:35.803 --> 00:27:43.760
Appointment and dismissal of all
employees in the Slovenian police

00:27:43.881 --> 00:27:47.823
is the responsibility
of the Director General of Police.

00:27:47.944 --> 00:27:51.303
Only on him and his procedures,

00:27:51.424 --> 00:27:53.908
related to labour legislation

00:27:54.029 --> 00:27:57.788
and the legal regulation
of employment in the police,

00:27:57.909 --> 00:28:02.840
does it depend who will be
the director or boss where.

00:28:03.928 --> 00:28:07.302
The task
of the Director General of Police

00:28:07.423 --> 00:28:09.960
is to ensure the legality
of these procedures.

00:28:10.081 --> 00:28:16.449
It is not his task to follow the
wishes of anyone in this country.

00:28:16.684 --> 00:28:18.284
This does not mean

00:28:18.405 --> 00:28:22.438
that no one in this country
is allowed to have an opinion

00:28:22.559 --> 00:28:24.564
regarding the appointment.

00:28:24.685 --> 00:28:28.108
It is important that
the Director General of Police

00:28:28.229 --> 00:28:35.083
resists such demands
and says that they will respect

00:28:35.204 --> 00:28:39.568
only the legislation
and labour law procedures.

00:28:39.689 --> 00:28:43.033
Based on the Constitution
of the Republic of Slovenia

00:28:43.154 --> 00:28:49.193
and on the legislation that defines
employment relations within the police,

00:28:49.314 --> 00:28:55.652
only the Director General
of Police can order such procedures.

00:28:55.777 --> 00:29:01.684
Their task is to obey laws.

00:29:02.923 --> 00:29:05.902
Their task is also

00:29:06.178 --> 00:29:12.418
to communicate with people
who want something illegal

00:29:12.539 --> 00:29:15.491
or something not in accordance
with the rules and procedures,

00:29:15.612 --> 00:29:20.538
to explain this clearly
and reject such activities.

00:29:20.659 --> 00:29:22.901
If I understand correctly,

00:29:23.022 --> 00:29:27.715
the Nova Gorica Police Directorate
is still managed by the same person

00:29:27.836 --> 00:29:32.937
and the acting Director General
did not replace anyone there.

00:29:36.808 --> 00:29:39.299
Lara Draškovič, STA.

00:29:39.420 --> 00:29:41.483
Today it was repeatedly emphasised

00:29:41.604 --> 00:29:44.998
that the Director General of Police
is appointed by the Government.

00:29:45.119 --> 00:29:49.989
Can you explain why
Mr Lindav was not suitable

00:29:50.110 --> 00:29:53.019
to be appointed to this position
with a full mandate?

00:29:53.188 --> 00:29:59.034
Mr Lobnikar, do you consider
him suitable for this position?

00:29:59.155 --> 00:30:04.082
As an expert in this field, do you
perhaps not consider it problematic

00:30:04.203 --> 00:30:05.803
that the police remain

00:30:05.924 --> 00:30:11.392
without a director general with a full
mandate for more than half a year?

00:30:11.513 --> 00:30:17.906
I will start and perhaps answer
on behalf of the State Secretary

00:30:18.027 --> 00:30:22.693
and remind you that the State
Secretary is here in this capacity,

00:30:22.814 --> 00:30:24.414
not in the capacity of an expert.

00:30:24.535 --> 00:30:26.608
He has no authority or possibility

00:30:26.729 --> 00:30:30.302
for professional evaluation of
a candidate in a tender procedure.

00:30:30.423 --> 00:30:32.423
I trust you understand that.

00:30:32.544 --> 00:30:35.174
I am answering this now,

00:30:35.295 --> 00:30:40.116
so that my respected colleague
would not face this conundrum.

00:30:40.237 --> 00:30:47.894
As for the appointment of Mr Lindav,
we must understand...

00:30:48.015 --> 00:30:53.602
I must say that we, the ministers
and other members of the Government,

00:30:53.723 --> 00:30:59.487
followed the events of the last
few days with concern as well.

00:30:59.700 --> 00:31:03.793
We also did not fully understand
what was actually happening and why.

00:31:03.914 --> 00:31:07.897
The process of appointing
the Director General of Police,

00:31:08.018 --> 00:31:10.212
as is the case
for similar processes,

00:31:10.333 --> 00:31:16.800
is concluded with a decision on
appointment or non-appointment.

00:31:16.921 --> 00:31:20.199
The police are not without
leadership at the moment.

00:31:20.320 --> 00:31:26.297
As this is simply and clearly foreseen
and regulated by the legislation,

00:31:26.418 --> 00:31:28.804
this function continues
to be performed

00:31:28.925 --> 00:31:31.596
by Mr Lindav
as the acting Director General.

00:31:31.716 --> 00:31:35.586
There is no doubt
that Mr Lindav,

00:31:35.911 --> 00:31:39.281
if this hadn't occurred
or despite the occurrence,

00:31:39.402 --> 00:31:42.991
couldn't be appointed Director General
of the Police Force later on.

00:31:43.153 --> 00:31:49.281
We do not know why Minister Bobnar,
did not insist with the appointment.

00:31:49.660 --> 00:31:55.922
We do not know, why this couldn't
wait to be discussed by the government.

00:31:56.043 --> 00:32:03.000
The reasons for not discussing
it sooner, are often purely logistical.

00:32:03.615 --> 00:32:08.900
One could have waited,
but the Minister said

00:32:09.106 --> 00:32:13.735
the Police Force should always
have a good hierarchical structure,

00:32:13.910 --> 00:32:16.751
that's why we've extended the title
of Acting Director General for Mr Lindav.

00:32:16.981 --> 00:32:21.431
As a Minister for Justice
and a lawyer myself, I believe

00:32:21.552 --> 00:32:26.165
this wouldn't be necessary,
because the status would be extended

00:32:26.306 --> 00:32:29.439
automatically, in case no one
would be appointed on-time.

00:32:29.661 --> 00:32:33.056
This happens when tender procedures
aren't duly finished.

00:32:33.239 --> 00:32:36.040
This is nothing unusual.

00:32:36.346 --> 00:32:38.868
Such instances are regulated by law.

00:32:39.027 --> 00:32:41.314
I want to say that

00:32:41.849 --> 00:32:46.587
the acting Director General
of the Police Force Mr Lindav

00:32:46.910 --> 00:32:51.548
still has a chance theoretically
to be appointed Director General. Why?

00:32:51.848 --> 00:32:57.843
Even if the candidate is
explicitly rejected,

00:32:58.160 --> 00:33:01.636
they can try again.

00:33:01.825 --> 00:33:06.683
However, in accordance
with the Civil Servants Act

00:33:06.911 --> 00:33:12.801
that the positive assessment
of the expert's panel lasts for a year.

00:33:13.410 --> 00:33:19.330
We need to be aware that the government
hasn't yet discussed the appointment.

00:33:19.661 --> 00:33:23.151
The fact that this person was both
granted an extension to their status

00:33:23.272 --> 00:33:28.304
and a candidate
for the appointment

00:33:28.424 --> 00:33:30.424
doesn't change anything.

00:33:30.545 --> 00:33:35.790
That's why we're equally
perplexed as to why

00:33:35.911 --> 00:33:39.971
this was such a premature notion

00:33:40.131 --> 00:33:44.132
that we're blocking the appointment

00:33:44.422 --> 00:33:48.007
or politically interfering
in staffing at the Police Force.

00:33:48.161 --> 00:33:52.039
These allegations are unusual

00:33:52.160 --> 00:33:55.414
for the established and normal
acquis in the Republic of Slovenia

00:33:55.814 --> 00:34:01.185
and the fact that the procedure
hasn't formally been concluded.

00:34:02.661 --> 00:34:09.515
If I may add. The PM said he'll
accept the Minister's resignation.

00:34:09.989 --> 00:34:14.807
According to what has been said,
do you think

00:34:15.098 --> 00:34:19.432
that the acting Director General
of the Police Force should resign as well?

00:34:19.707 --> 00:34:24.057
This isn't a view I could share
as a Minister for Justice,

00:34:24.178 --> 00:34:27.675
It can be communicated
by the PM or the government.

00:34:27.796 --> 00:34:31.037
This hasn't been discussed yet.

00:34:35.034 --> 00:34:39.815
Mr Lobnikar. The minister
detected political pressure.

00:34:40.115 --> 00:34:45.076
The acting Director General
of the Police force did too.

00:34:45.325 --> 00:34:50.528
Did you as the state secretary ever
detect political pressure?

00:34:52.388 --> 00:35:00.059
I'm also wondering ...
You said this wasn't pressure,

00:35:01.911 --> 00:35:06.892
about Darko Muženič returning
as the head of the NBI.

00:35:07.066 --> 00:35:11.806
Don't you think this is similar
to the political appointments

00:35:12.027 --> 00:35:20.010
of the previous government
and the previous director?

00:35:22.212 --> 00:35:28.048
What I can say is
that I didn't detect

00:35:28.206 --> 00:35:31.814
political pressure on the operational
work of the Police Force

00:35:32.161 --> 00:35:35.361
nor did I apply it.

00:35:35.911 --> 00:35:41.197
The letter of the acting
Director General of the Police Force

00:35:41.318 --> 00:35:44.423
doesn't specify

00:35:44.823 --> 00:35:52.771
any political pressure on
operational work whatsoever.

00:35:54.280 --> 00:35:55.880
The appointment

00:35:56.661 --> 00:36:00.615
in the public sector
and the Police Force

00:36:00.882 --> 00:36:03.647
needs to be
in accordance with the law.

00:36:03.911 --> 00:36:05.511
The following is my personal opinion.

00:36:05.764 --> 00:36:07.848
The Prime Minister only wanted

00:36:08.293 --> 00:36:12.365
that the court's verdict
be respected.

00:36:14.808 --> 00:36:20.671
If I may add, there is huge
difference between the appointments.

00:36:20.792 --> 00:36:25.700
We're only realizing
a legally binding court's verdict.

00:36:26.052 --> 00:36:31.004
Thank you.
Are there any more questions?

00:36:34.961 --> 00:36:39.382
No. Thank you very much
to everyone. Good day.