{"id":35950,"date":"2023-06-14T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-14T03:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ostro.si\/uncategorized\/only-one-civil-servant-monitors-politicians-assets\/"},"modified":"2026-06-10T08:33:48","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T06:33:48","slug":"only-one-civil-servant-monitors-politicians-assets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ostro.si\/en\/stories\/only-one-civil-servant-monitors-politicians-assets\/","title":{"rendered":"Only one civil servant monitors politicians\u2019 assets"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"sqs-html-content\" data-sqsp-text-block-content=\"\">\n<h3 style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Key findings:<\/h3>\n<ul data-rte-list=\"default\">\n<li>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">According to the integrity and prevention of corruption act, only data on changes in officials&#8217; assets is publicly available.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">The published data is scarce and, in some places, even incomplete. Currently, only 1 Commission for the Prevention of Corruption (KPK) employee oversees the assets of approximately 22,000 persons obligated to report. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">Out of the 21 government members, initially, only Minister of Internal Affairs Bo\u0161tjan Poklukar provided a copy of his asset declaration. After follow-up requests three more ministers submitted their copies. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">Four ministers shared copies of their income tax returns.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">Six ministries did not provide data on companies connected to them to KPK to be included on the list of companies with restrictions in doing business with state bodies.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">At least four ministries eventually provided this to KPK after receiving inquiries from O\u0161tro. Among other reasons, they attributed the delay to their ignorance and negligence. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n<div class=\"sqs-html-content\" data-sqsp-text-block-content=\"\">\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">\u201cThe Minister has reported all data on his assets to the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption in accordance with the law.&#8221; This was the most frequent response by ministers to O\u0161tro&#8217;s request to provide a copy of their asset declaration filed with the Commission, and their most recent income tax return.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">Of the 21 government cabinet members, only Interior Minister Bo\u0161tjan Poklukar initially shared the declaration with O\u0161tro, and three others responded to the reporters\u2019 follow-up requests. Four provided a copy of the income tax return, a few others replied to O\u0161tro&#8217;s questionnaire on asset data, while some only sent a copy of the declaration. <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">In recent years, some candidates for political office have voluntarily disclosed their assets. In the last presidential elections, the incumbent President Nata\u0161a Pirc Musar and her opponent in the run-off An\u017ee Logar did so, as did Marta Kos before she withdrew from the race. Levica MPs also published their declarations on the party&#8217;s website in the last parliamentary term.  <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">Access to data on assets of those holding the highest positions in the state can significantly contribute to transparency of public office, as well as to building trust in the conduct of public officials.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">Under the integrity and prevention of corruption act, only data on changes in assets during an official\u2019s mandate is public. However, the published data is scarce, some of it incomplete, and the declared assets of some 22,000 officials are currently under the watchful eye of just one employee of the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption. One other employee is currently absent from work.  <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">The Ministry of Justice believes that the limited disclosure of politicians&#8217; assets is not in line with the purpose of the law, which is to strengthen transparency and public trust in public office holders. This is why O\u0161tro has taken up the task of creating a database of officials&#8217; assets. <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">In the investigation which began in September 2022, it emerged that as many as six ministries did not provide the Commission with data on companies connected to ministers that the Commission should have placed on the list of companies subject to restrictions in their dealings with the state. At least four ministries did so after receiving questions from O\u0161tro. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.detektorpremozenja.si\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"text-decoration:underline\">The Asset Detector<\/span><\/a> is an open-access database where O\u0161tro\u2019s reporters publish data on assets of Slovenian political officials. The journalists obtained the data from public registers and other publicly available sources. The first publication concerns the assets of ministers; others will follow.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kb-btns2207_896c55-3c{gap:var(--global-kb-gap-xs, 0.5rem );justify-content:center;align-items:center;}.kt-btns2207_896c55-3c .kt-button{font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;}.kt-btns2207_896c55-3c .kt-btn-wrap-0{margin-right:5px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kt-btns2207_896c55-3c .kt-btn-wrap-0 .kt-button{color:#555555;border-color:#555555;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kt-btns2207_896c55-3c .kt-btn-wrap-0 .kt-button:hover, .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kt-btns2207_896c55-3c .kt-btn-wrap-0 .kt-button:focus{color:#ffffff;border-color:#444444;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kt-btns2207_896c55-3c .kt-btn-wrap-0 .kt-button::before{display:none;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kt-btns2207_896c55-3c .kt-btn-wrap-0 .kt-button:hover, .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kt-btns2207_896c55-3c .kt-btn-wrap-0 .kt-button:focus{background:#444444;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn kb-buttons-wrap kb-btns2207_896c55-3c\"><style>ul.menu .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn2207_62cc65-93.kb-button{width:initial;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn2207_62cc65-93.kb-button{text-transform:uppercase;}<\/style><a class=\"kb-button kt-button button kb-btn2207_62cc65-93 kt-btn-size-standard kt-btn-width-type-auto kb-btn-global-fill kt-btn-has-text-true kt-btn-has-svg-false wp-block-kadence-singlebtn\" href=\"https:\/\/www.detektorpremozenja.si\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"kt-btn-inner-text\">asset detector<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"sqs-html-content\" data-sqsp-text-block-content=\"\">\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">&#8220;Time and time again, internal oversight of asset declarations has proven insufficient,&#8221; Helen Darbishire, Executive Director of Access Info Europe, a Spanish NGO advocating for the freedom of information, told O\u0161tro. Public access to asset declarations is essential as a control against illicit enrichment, she said. <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">In addition, she says, the public is entitled to know whether an official has assets independent of the office they hold or whether they have other sources of income that could influence their decision-making. At the same time, public oversight is an incentive to be honest and complete in the initial declaration and is a disincentive against illegal enrichment.  <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">The data format is important as well. As the Director of Access Info Europe says, such data should be published in open data formats with permission for re-use. &#8220;This is essential for investigative journalists, civil society but also for members of the public who need to know about the politicians they elect and the public officials who take decisions which affect citizens\u2019 daily lives.\u201d  <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">The Commission for the Prevention of Corruption began publishing limited information on changes in officials&#8217; assets in February last year, although the law on integrity and prevention of corruption has provided the legal basis for this since 2010. The information that the public can access is stripped of almost all the details that the public needs in order to exert its rightful oversight and assess whether changes in an individual official&#8217;s assets are in line with their official income. <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">Maru\u0161a Babnik, secretary general of Transparency International Slovenia, agrees that the current method of publishing data on changes in the assets of public officials is insufficient. She also points out that the data is not published in a machine-readable form, which makes analysis even more difficult. <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">&#8220;The published dataset raises more questions for the user than it answers. For example, it does not indicate the type of acquisition or disposal of property, which means it does not distinguish between a purchase, a gift and an inheritance. And this is despite the fact that the form for reporting changes in assets should, by law, also include the possibility to indicate the reason for the increase or decrease in assets,&#8221; Babnik told O\u0161tro.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"639\" src=\"https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Screenshot2023-05-25at06.37.43-1024x639.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-35923\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Screenshot2023-05-25at06.37.43-1024x639.webp 1024w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Screenshot2023-05-25at06.37.43-600x374.webp 600w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Screenshot2023-05-25at06.37.43-300x187.webp 300w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Screenshot2023-05-25at06.37.43-768x479.webp 768w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Screenshot2023-05-25at06.37.43-1536x958.webp 1536w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Screenshot2023-05-25at06.37.43.webp 1892w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Screenshot of public disclosure report, showing changes in the assets of public officials.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<div class=\"sqs-html-content\" data-sqsp-text-block-content=\"\">\n<h3 style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\">The grip of privacy protection<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">Drago Kos, who headed the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption from its inception in 2004 until 2010, pointed out that public disclosure of all information on the assets of officials, except for property identification data, is a well established standard worldwide. &#8220;The general data protection regulation and the practice resulting from it have done enormous damage to the fight against corruption and for transparency. This rigid approach, which is also practiced by the Slovenian Information Commissioner, has caused considerable damage to the fight against corruption.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">Boris \u0160tefanec, who headed the Commission between 2014 and 2020, likewise believes that all assets held by officials should be made public, not just the changes, mainly so that the public, taxpayers and journalists can scrutinize it during the officials\u2019 term in office. He believes that &#8220;anyone who chooses to be a top official should agree to make their assets public&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">&#8220;I don&#8217;t see what would be wrong with that. If I was the prime minister, for example, I shouldn&#8217;t be earning anything else than a salary anyway.&#8221; \u0160tefanec believes that officials should also disclose assets of family members, at least those of their spouses and children.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<figure class=\"block-animation-site-default\">\n<blockquote data-animation-role=\"quote\"><p><span><\/span>Due to the large number of officials obliged to report their assets, the competent authorities do not have the capacity to control them and officials are naturally aspiring to keep reporting to a minimum.<span><\/span><br\/><\/p><\/blockquote><figcaption class=\"source\">\u2014 Drago Kos, the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption\u2019s first presiden<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<div class=\"sqs-html-content\" data-sqsp-text-block-content=\"\">\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">Kos acknowledged to O\u0161tro that he himself was initially against making asset data public. &#8220;But then I saw in other countries that public disclosure is important so that everyone interested can see what officials have.&#8221; In addition, journalists as well as the general public can contribute to completing the information on assets, as the competent authorities do not have the capacity to control them and officials are \u201cnaturally aspiring to keep reporting to a minimum.\u201d  <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">&#8220;In Ukraine, for example, it was through a public asset declaration and with the help of journalists that the former president was found to own large villas in Spain. Without the public declaration, this would not have been possible, because the journalists and the public would not have known what the president had declared, and the commission would not have known what else the president owned, because they do not comb through all countries of the world. That is why it is important that the public can help in obtaining complete information on the assets of officials,&#8221; Kos is convinced.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">Darbishire also emphasized that the range of information to be reported should be broad enough, as officials do not only profit directly from finances, they may also receive luxury items, holidays and such as a gift from someone who is bribing them.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\">PM keeping it brief<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">The data presented on the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.detektorpremozenja.si\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"text-decoration:underline\">Asset Detector<\/span><\/a> platform is not complete or comprehensive since only public data sources were available to O\u0161tro, and in the month prior to the platform launch also data sent by members of the government at the journalists\u2019 request. The Asset Detector is thus the first example of a systematic public disclosure of Slovenian officials\u2019 assets to date. <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">Before going public, the journalists informed all members of the government in detail on the data they had obtained about their assets.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">Interior Minister Poklukar was the first to send O\u0161tro his asset declaration form, and subsequently answered additional questions. Culture Minister Asta Vre\u010dko, Agriculture Minister Irena \u0160inko and Environment, Climate and Energy Minister Bojan Kumer also sent copies of their latest asset declarations. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/CP_X5966-1024x683.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-35928\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.499277171770272;width:628px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/CP_X5966-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/CP_X5966-600x400.webp 600w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/CP_X5966-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/CP_X5966-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/CP_X5966-1536x1024.webp 1536w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/CP_X5966-2048x1366.webp 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">View over Kromberk, the town, where prime minister owns some land plots<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sqs-html-content\" data-sqsp-text-block-content=\"\">\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">Prime Minister Robert Golob provided only brief descriptions of his assets. His office said that he has bank savings and investments in mutual funds. He owns a car, an orchard with a small outbuilding, an olive grove, and some land plots around Kromberk. He has no outstanding loans.   <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">Land registry records show that three of the four land plots above Kromberk that O\u0161tro was able to identify are encumbered with a mortgage from 2014 worth \u20ac73,000.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">At the time of publication, the prime minister\u2019s office had not yet replied to a follow-up question on whether the mortgage had been paid off. There are a few more plots of land in the area that are co-owned by the prime minister. <\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\">A house on the seaside<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">&#8220;I will do what I announced, I will no longer be a shareholder.&#8221; This is how Economy Minister Matja\u017e Han<a href=\"https:\/\/n1info.si\/novice\/intervjuji\/matjaz-han-intervju-minister-za-gospodarstvo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"text-decoration:underline\">answered<\/span><\/a> a question by N1 last year, two days before his appointment, about whether he was committed not to exploit the ministerial post for himself or for his company M &#038; M International. <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">Han started this retail, manufacturing and service company with his late father in 1992, before entering politics. He was its director until 2009; during this time he was, among other things, the mayor of Rade\u010de and a member of parliament. The company has so far generated just over \u20ac198,000 of revenue from public funds.  <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">As promised before he took office, he ceased being an owner in August 2022, when he signed over his 50% share in the company to his wife. The notarial deed shows that she paid nothing for the stake worth just over \u20ac146,000. <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">According to the register of beneficial owners, Han is the sole beneficial owner of M &#038; M International, which also does business with the para-state energy group Petrol. As he told O\u0161tro, he asked the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption about whether this business relationship may be problematic and &#8220;they told him that there was nothing controversial&#8221;, even when he took over the current ministry. <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">The Commission told O\u0161tro that they had not received the minister&#8217;s inquiry. O\u0161tro brought this to Han&#8217;s attention, whereupon he clarified that he had not asked about this officially and in writing, but informally on the phone, when he was asking for advice prior to declaring his assets. <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">Several media, among them<a href=\"https:\/\/www.24ur.com\/novice\/slovenija\/vecina-politikov-na-dopust-na-hrvasko-obalo-ali-po-sloveniji.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"text-decoration:underline\">24ur.com<\/span><\/a>, have reported that Han and his family have been holidaying on Pag Island in Croatia for many years. According to the Croatian land registry, he and his wife have owned a holiday home in Mandre since end of September 2018. <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">According to the asset change declaration sent by Han to O\u0161tro, the house has a liveable area of 62 square meters. Separately, Han explained that the house has 146 square meters of adjoining land and about 582 square meters of undevelopable land. Han was a member of parliament at the time of purchase.  <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">The sales and purchase agreement obtained by O\u0161tro with the help of O\u0161tro&#8217;s sister center in Zagreb shows that the Hans paid \u20ac165,000 for the house, which, according to Google Maps, sits less than 150 meters from the sea. Han explained that he and his wife had taken out a loan of \u20ac40,000 each and financed the rest with proceeds from the sale of investment fund assets. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/20230216-01209786-2-1024x682.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-35930\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.5014971537626272;width:612px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/20230216-01209786-2-1024x682.webp 1024w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/20230216-01209786-2-600x400.webp 600w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/20230216-01209786-2-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/20230216-01209786-2-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/20230216-01209786-2-1536x1023.webp 1536w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/20230216-01209786-2.webp 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sanja Ajanovi\u0107 Hovnik.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sqs-html-content\" data-sqsp-text-block-content=\"\">\n<h3 style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\">All in the family<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">Until last summer, Public Administration Minister Sanja Ajanovi\u0107 Hovnik was also the owner of a company. In August 2020, she founded Smart Center, a business consultancy which advises on digitalisation, sustainability and democratization of organizational processes, along with entrepreneurs Kaja Primorac and Alja \u017dor\u017e. <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">According to Erar, the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption\u2019s register of transactions between the public and private sectors, the company has so far generated just under \u20ac24,000 in revenue from the public sector.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">Ajanovi\u0107 Hovnik was director and co-owner of Smart Center until mid-June 2022, when, two weeks after her appointment as minister, she donated her 50% stake to her mother, a retired nurse who reportedly has no experience in business consultancy. Until recently, the company had not entered its beneficial owners in the register of beneficial owners despite being required to do so by the anti-money laundering law.  <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">On 8 May, O\u0161tro asked Ajanovi\u0107 Hovnik about the suspicion that she is the straw owner of Smart Center and about the company\u2019s non-registration in the Register of Beneficial Owners.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">A change took place the next day, on 9 May, when Kaja Primorac, 50% owner of Smart Center, was registered as the beneficial owner of between 25 and 50 per cent of the company. The third co-founder, Alja \u017dor\u017e, had already left the company in April 2021. It is therefore still unclear who is the beneficial owner of the other half of Smart Center.  <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">Under the provisions of the anti-money laundering law, changes in the ownership of a company of at least 25% must be entered in the Register of Beneficial Owners within eight days.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">&#8220;A lack of transparency of ownership suggests the possibility of straw ownership,&#8221; Transparency International Slovenia said. In their view, the case shows that &#8220;legislation on timely and full disclosure of beneficial ownership has not been complied with. If the owner is a family member of a high-ranking official, the company should also have been placed on the list of companies subject to restrictions in doing business with the state on the Erar portal.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">Under the integrity and prevention of corruption act, when family members of ministry officials own a business the ministers must report this to the ministry within eight days, which in turn reports to the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption. The latter maintains a list of entities which are subject to restrictions in doing business with state bodies, which is a measure to protect public funds from spending that is motivated by private interests. <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">After receiving O\u0161tro\u2019s questions, the Commission found that the Public Administration Ministry had not reported Smart Center&#8217;s ownership. They asked the ministry for clarification. <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">At least two more entities with links to minister Ajanovi\u0107 Hovnik \u2013 the sole trader Danilo Hovnik, her husband, and the Institute for Sustainable Mobility Maribor, which was co-founded by her mother \u2013 are also not on the list of companies subject to restrictions on doing business with the Public Administration Ministry.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">Minister Ajanovi\u0107 Hovnik did not respond to O\u0161tro&#8217;s questions about her assets, the transfer of Smart Center to her mother and its beneficial ownership.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">The ministry&#8217;s Public Relations Office only repeated several times that the minister reports her assets to the Commission in accordance with the regulations. Just before publication, they clarified why companies related to the minister&#8217;s family members were not included in the list of entities subject to restrictions on doing business with the state. <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">&#8220;It is true that the minister did not declare the business entities that are subject to restrictions when she took office, because at that time, with all her commitments, she did not pay attention to this, nor did anyone warn her about it. It was by all means a mistake which the minister acknowledges and for which she sincerely apologizes. She fulfilled her obligation to inform the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption of the business entities subject to restrictions as soon as it was brought to her attention.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">She added that her husband&#8217;s company and Smart Center did not do business with state administration bodies, and she was not aware of the operations of the Maribor Institute for Sustainable Mobility, but &#8220;to her knowledge it did not do business&#8221; with the public sector.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">Prior to the launch of Asset Detector, the list of entities subject to restrictions on doing business with the state did not include companies, institutions or self-employed persons to Minister Poklukar, Health Minister Danijel Be\u0161i\u010d Loredan, Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon, Justice Minister Dominika \u0160varc Pipan and Digital Transformation Minister Emilija Stojmenova Duh.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">Some of them explained to O\u0161tro that this was due to ignorance and negligence \u2013 they assured reporters that the irregularities were being corrected. However, the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption announced that it would check the individual cases O\u0161tro enquired about. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/CP_X2099-1024x683.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-35932\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.499277171770272;width:664px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/CP_X2099-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/CP_X2099-600x400.webp 600w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/CP_X2099-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/CP_X2099-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/CP_X2099-1536x1024.webp 1536w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/CP_X2099-2048x1366.webp 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The \u0160i\u0161ka neighborhood where Minister Bojan Kumer owns an apartment.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sqs-html-content\" data-sqsp-text-block-content=\"\">\n<h3 style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\">No irregularities found on Kumer\u2019s apartment<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">In the autumn 2016, electricity distributor Elektro Ljubljana sold an apartment on the second floor of an apartment building in Ljubljana&#8217;s \u0160i\u0161ka neighborhood to Bojan Kumer, at the time the director of a subsidiary Elektro Energija, who is today the environment minister. Just under six years later, shortly before last year&#8217;s general election, the company fired three employees and filed a criminal complaint against Andrej Ribi\u010d, the CEO at the time, for alleged abuse of office, and Martina Pohar from the company\u2019s legal department for complicity in the crime. <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">Among other things, they were accused of selling the apartment to Kumer below market price and not securing a supervisory board clearance for the sale, the company told O\u0161tro.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">In an interview for public broadcaster RTV Slovenija last year, Kumer said the low price was due to the poor condition of the apartment: &#8220;It was dilapidated, uninhabitable, and it is the normal right of a lessee to secure his pre-emptive right to purchase, if he starts investing his euros in an apartment.&#8221; Today, he rents it. <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">He explained to O\u0161tro that the police had questioned him as a person who could have useful information. &#8220;The agreement was not fictitious, as evidenced by the paid rent. The purchase price was not lower than the market price at the time, as confirmed by the sworn appraiser.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">The head of the Ljubljana Public Prosecutor&#8217;s Office, Katarina Bergant, told O\u0161tro in May that the charges in the case were dropped on 21 April.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">&#8220;It was established in the proceedings that the apartment was sold at a reasonable price, which was determined by a sworn appraiser, and that the appraiser performed her work professionally,&#8221; Elektro Ljubljana said about the case, adding that a supervisory board&#8217;s clearance was not required for the transaction. <\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\">(Un)public oversight<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">Transparency International Slovenia\u2019s Maru\u0161a Babnik pointed out that the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption is allowed by law to publish its findings on the correctness, completeness and timeliness of the reporting by officials on changes of their assets. The currently published data does not show that &#8220;the Commission has carried out a review of the financial activities of officials and whether it has detected any irregularities in the process&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">The Commission adopted its decision on the launch of oversight of the correctness of reporting by current officials of the National Assembly, the government and ministries in August last year. The Commission&#8217;s senate adopted its report on 10 January, but it was not published online. O\u0161tro obtained an electronic copy under a freedom of information request.  <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">The Commission found that 41 out of 62 members of the government and 48 out of 91 National Assembly officials covered by its review had not properly fulfilled their legal obligations when declaring their assets.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">The most significant errors were detected in the reporting of real estate, real estate rights and other property rights, cash at banks, savings banks and savings and credit institutions, and debts, liabilities or guarantees assumed and loans granted.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">The Commission\u2019s president Robert \u0160umi told O\u0161tro that the findings of the review resulted in small offenses proceedings, but the details thereof will not be disclosed until they are final. In general, he is disappointed by the insensitivity of political officials to issues related to their own integrity. <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">As he explained, candidates had been informed of the obligations to declare assets, the restrictions and incompatibilities of public office before last year&#8217;s general and local elections. After the elections, they were also sent a link to an information package which he said was easily accessible online. They were also informed through other communication channels about all their obligations under the integrity and prevention of corruption act, including on asset reporting.  <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">&#8220;This is, plain and simple, wilful ignorance rather than passivity&#8221;, he said about the timeliness and accuracy of officials&#8217; reporting. &#8220;There needs to be a rethink about where we are.&#8221; <\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\">A European rainbow of reporting standards<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">EU countries have introduced a plethora of practices for declaring assets and publishing officials\u2019 asset declarations. In some countries, this data is not publicly available, in others it is available only on demand while most publish it online with varying degrees of detail. <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">However, no country has a system in place to control politicians&#8217; assets to the extent that it could be considered a model for others, Helen Darbishire of AccessInfo Europe told O\u0161tro. She cited France and, since recently, Romania as countries that have achieved a certain level of transparency in this are. <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">With the help of colleagues from other EU countries, O\u0161tro has compiled a review of the publication of officials&#8217; assets and classified them into six categories of transparency.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">The top category includes countries that publish at least specific information on real estate, vehicles, stakes in companies and securities, and cash held by officials. This includes Croatia, where, in addition to the assets of officials, information on the assets of their spouses and children is made public. Eight countries in Eastern and South Europe have a comparatively high standard of public disclosure, while in Western Europe France stands out for transparency.  <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\">In Slovakia, Ireland and Latvia, detailed information is made public only on certain types of assets, and in Denmark and Luxembourg only on equity stakes in companies. Six countries, including Slovenia, publish incomplete data or aggregated values by asset type. Portugal, Sweden and the Czech Republic make asset reports available only on demand, and in four countries in Central and Western Europe the data is not publicly available.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<iframe title=\"Public disclosure of data on officials\u2019 assets in EU countries\" aria-label=\"Map\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-I6Qcd\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/I6Qcd\/1\/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width: 0px; border-width: medium; border-style: none; border-color: currentcolor; border-image: initial; min-width: 100% !important; height: 766px;\" height=\"738\" data-external=\"1\"><\/iframe>\n\n<div class=\"sqs-html-content\" data-sqsp-text-block-content=\"\">\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">In Slovenia\u2019s neighborhood, databases such as the Asset Detector have been launched by journalists or non-governmental organizations in Croatia (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mozaikveza.hr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"text-decoration:underline\">Mozaik veza<\/span><\/a>), Serbia (<a href=\"https:\/\/imovinapoliticara.krik.rs\/display\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"text-decoration:underline\">Baza imovine politi\u010dara<\/span><\/a>) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (<a href=\"https:\/\/imovinapoliticara.cin.ba\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"text-decoration:underline\">Baza imovine politi\u010dara<\/span><\/a>).<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">&#8220;Setting up the database was a big challenge, especially because we were practically pioneers in this field in Serbia,&#8221; Bojana Jovanovi\u0107, deputy editor-in-chief of Krik, the Serbian Centre for Investigative Journalism, told O\u0161tro. &#8220;We were doing something that no one had ever done before.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">One of the things that prompted Krik to launch the project in 2016 was Serbian President Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107\u2019s asset declaration. &#8220;Judging by it, he was one of the poorest officials in the world, owning only a studio apartment in Belgrade,&#8221; Jovanovi\u0107 said. In Serbia, officials are required to declare their assets and income to the anti-corruption agency, as well as that of their spouses and children.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Krik subsequently discovered that Vu\u010di\u0107 owned one property in the Serbian capital and members of his family owned six, which at the time were worth a total of more than \u20ac1.1 million. Two of the apartments were bought from the state in the 1990s on favorable terms, Jovanovi\u0107 explained. &#8220;Another interesting fact is that Vu\u010di\u0107&#8217;s studio apartment is right next to his wife&#8217;s apartment, which is about 100 square meters.&#8221;  <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">In 2017, the project was awarded the Global Data Journalism Award in the Open Data category by GIJN, the Global Investigative Journalism Network.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">The publication of asset data of ministers and the analysis is the first phase of O\u0161tro\u2019 project which is simultaneously implemented by sister investigative journalism centers in Slovenia and Croatia. Data on other groups of officials is coming up in Fall while all data will be updated periodically. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n<div class=\"sqs-html-content\" data-sqsp-text-block-content=\"\">\n<p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;white-space:pre-wrap;\" class=\"\"><em>The following reporters helped O\u0161tro collect information on publicity of asset declarations in other EU countries: Thomas Hoisl (Austria), Kristof Clerix (Belgium), Atanas Tchobanov (Bulgaria), Stelios Orphanides (Greece, Cyprus), Pavla Holcov\u00e1 (Czech Republic), Staffan Dahll\u00f6f (Denmark, Sweden), Minna Knus-Gal\u00e1n (Finland), St\u00e9phane Horel and L\u00e9a Sanchez (France), Harald Schumann (Germany), Lois Kapila (Ireland), Giulio Rubino (Italy), Sanita Jemberga (Latvia), \u0160arunas \u010cerniauskas (Lithuania), Luc Caregari (Luxembourg), Jacob Borg (Malta), Lise Witteman (Netherlands), Sofia Rodrigues (Portugal), Attila Biro (Romania), Luk\u00e1\u0161 Diko (Slovakia) in Marcos Garcia Rey (Spain). Thank you! <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In Slovenia, no one except the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption knows what assets high-ranking officials own. They cannot judge whether they are gaining illicitly from holding public office. This is why O\u0161tro has decided to turn the light on for the public and track politicians&#8217; assets in the Asset Detector.   <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35921,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","page_custom_class":"","post_show_featured_image":"1","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3360],"tags":[3377,3671,3669,3670,3668],"class_list":["post-35950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-asset-detector-en","tag-komisija-za-preprecevanje-korupcije","tag-kpk","tag-krovna-zgodba","tag-premozenje"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":3360,"label":"Stories"}],"post_tag":[{"value":3377,"label":"Asset Detector"},{"value":3671,"label":"komisija za prepre\u010devanje korupcije"},{"value":3669,"label":"KPK"},{"value":3670,"label":"krovna zgodba"},{"value":3668,"label":"premo\u017eenje"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Drawink_SLO-2-1024x724.webp",1024,724,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"wpm","author_link":"https:\/\/ostro.si\/en\/author\/wpm\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":3360,"name":"Stories","slug":"stories","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3360,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":64,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":3360,"category_count":64,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Stories","category_nicename":"stories","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":3377,"name":"Asset Detector","slug":"asset-detector-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3377,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":5,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":3671,"name":"komisija za prepre\u010devanje korupcije","slug":"komisija-za-preprecevanje-korupcije","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3671,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":3669,"name":"KPK","slug":"kpk","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3669,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":3670,"name":"krovna zgodba","slug":"krovna-zgodba","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3670,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":3668,"name":"premo\u017eenje","slug":"premozenje","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3668,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ostro.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ostro.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ostro.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ostro.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ostro.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35950"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ostro.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35950\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35954,"href":"https:\/\/ostro.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35950\/revisions\/35954"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ostro.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ostro.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ostro.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ostro.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}