The left-wing government of Robert Golob redirected funds earmarked for rehabilitation after the damage caused by natural disasters, even though the flood damage is far from being repaired and many flood zones are still dangerous for people.
Following this week’s anti-corruption session, where Members of Parliament discussed controversial issues such as the seven-million-euro purchase of a court building on Litija Street in Ljubljana, the purchase of 13,000 laptops, and Prime Minister Robert Golob‘s ownership of the company Star Solar, claims of reallocation of funds intended to deal with the consequences of last year’s natural disaster have emerged on social media.
Did the government redistribute funds it received from citizens to help repair the damage?
It has come to light that some of the money donated by people to help those affected by the floods that hit Slovenia in August of last year has been transferred elsewhere. As can also be seen from the government’s website, in the last days of last year, on the 22nd of December 2023, at its 167th Correspondence Session, the government approved budget transfers or “reallocations of spending rights in this year’s State budget.”
The Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief has thus reallocated unspent funds amounting to 21.2 million euros it had received for disaster relief. The funds were reallocated to the Ministry of Justice, which received 6.5 million euros for “providing adequate premises for the work of the authorities in Ljubljana.” The General Staff of the Slovenian Armed Forces received 5.8 million euros to “pay for the first call-up for the purchase of helicopters in accordance with the agreement between the Italian and Slovenian Ministries of Defence on cooperation in the field of military aviation.”
Funds contributed by citizens reallocated for the “dilapidated” building on Litijska Street?
Slovenian Democratic Party (Slovenska demokratska stranka – SDS) MEP Andrej Hoivik pointed out in the extraordinary session on corruption that at a correspondence session at the end of last year, the Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief returned 21 million euros to the budget reserve fund for natural disasters. He pointed out that this was a reserve item and added: “This money was directly contributed from the taxpayers, i.e. they got it through donations. Many people donated in August and afterwards to the Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief, which is very good in our area and also in the European area.” He also pointed out that at the above-mentioned correspondence session, the government had allocated about a third of this amount, i.e. 6.5 million euros, to the Ministry of Justice, so that the latter could buy, as Hoivik put it, “the dilapidated building on Litijska Street.” He added that all this was done with the knowledge of Prime Minister Robert Golob, as well as all ministers, who can vote on these matters in correspondence meetings.
Hoivik also pointed out that 70 percent of citizens no longer trust the government. Last year, Slovenia faced catastrophic storms and floods, so the redistribution of funds is something totally unacceptable, especially since the Ministry of Solidarity-Based Future is promising plans for new houses in the future, probably by 2030, as Hoivik said, but people need help now. The government is also being approached by outraged mayors of the affected municipalities who want to know how the government will ensure safety for people in flood-prone areas. At the same time, the government seems to have quietly, during the holidays, when people were not paying attention, redirected the funds earmarked for flood recovery to other causes.
A. S.
