“With his lawsuit, Zoran Janković has taken this matter to a personal level because he wants to intimidate us a little and to make an example out of us for others, who still dare not speak up,” said Uroš Jernejc, the owner of the land in the area of the C0 sewerage channel route, commenting on the announcement of the lawsuit by the Mayor of Ljubljana.
MP Anja Bah Žibert of the Slovenian Democratic Party (Slovenska demokratska stranka – SDS) is the Chair of the National Assembly’s Commission of Inquiry into the C0 sewerage channel project and has already heard a number of witnesses during the Commission’s work. There are serious suspicions that the controversial sewerage project, which runs through the protected Ljubljana water catchment area, is a potential ecological time bomb.
Even if the structure were not damaged by a potential future earthquake, flood or material deterioration, experts have long pointed out that the channel cannot be 100 percent watertight. At best, this would condemn the citizens of Ljubljana to drink unhealthy chlorinated water.
In the worst-case scenario, however, a catastrophe of unprecedented proportions would follow. That the people of Ljubljana cannot expect Zoran Janković to act honestly and conscientiously when it comes to drinking water and a healthy living environment was recently revealed by Planet TV. Namely, they exposed certain documents that allegedly confirm that some of Ljubljana’s citizens are, in fact, drinking a carcinogenic chemical.
A big defeat for Janković: environmental impact decision to be taken again
At the Hrastje water plant, where water is pumped for Ljubljana’s water supply, two of the four wells were found to have tetrachloroethene levels that were well above the limit values. However, there has recently been a positive breakthrough in this matter. In March this year, a court ruled that the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy (or its constituent body, the Environment Agency of the Republic of Slovenia – ARSO) will have to decide once again on the environmental impact of Janković’s sewerage channel.
The repeated protests in front of the Ljubljana’s City Hall are also very significant. The most recent one took place a few days ago, where Aleš Primc, a fighter for clean drinking water, reiterated the importance of preserving Ljubljana’s groundwater, and other prominent representatives of the authorities, such as SDS MP Branko Grims, also took part in the protest. As a result, the issue has already escalated to the point of becoming part of the public debate, so much so that it is being reported more and more frequently in the media, and prominent statesmen, such as the President of the Republic, Nataša Pirc Musar, have commented on the matter already.
Janković prosecutes landowner who exposed irregularities at the Municipality of Ljubljana
As a result, it will become increasingly difficult for Janković to succeed in court, as the importance of the public good, i.e. maintaining a healthy living environment, which is not tied to one’s political colours, comes more and more to the fore. By stifling public debate, Janković has tried to prevent this from happening. However, the fact that the Mayor is wrong has recently been confirmed by the judiciary. The Higher Court dismissed a lawsuit brought by the Municipality of Ljubljana against the owner of the land on the C0 sewerage channel route, Aleš Mrzel, who was attacked by the Police while trying to defend his own land and clean drinking water.
But the latter is clearly not the only case of Janković attacking his opponents. This time, SDS MP Bah Žibert also highlighted the case of Janković’s prosecution of Uroš Jernejc, another owner of the land on the C0 route, who allegedly dared to speak out loud about what kind of things are happening at the Municipality of Ljubljana and to also support his claims with videos. But now, it is the one who has drawn attention to the unacceptable practices and illegalities who is being prosecuted, not the actual guilty party. Namely, we are talking about the infamous recording where we can hear how, when the Stadium Stožice was being built, the municipality did not buy the plot of land at the price that had been agreed beforehand and at which it was bought land from others, i.e. 400 euros per square metre, because Janković wanted to receive a commission for the purchase.
MP Bah Žibert has responded to the announced lawsuit on her X profile, writing the following: “Important: Janković is allegedly already prosecuting the owner of the land on the C0 route, Jernejc, who dared to speak out loud about what kind of shit is happening at the Municipality of Ljubljana and to also support his claims with videos. So, it is the one who has drawn attention to the unacceptable practices and illegalities who is being prosecuted, not the one who has done it. The rule of law is once again being tested. Therefore, we must carefully monitor what will happen in this case. I hope that the outcome will follow the important court victory of the landowner Mrzel, who was beaten by Janković’s security guards at the C0 channel construction site when he was defending his land and clean drinking water. Janković also sued him. It is the right thing to do for all of us who care about fairness and legality to support Jernejc, both father and son. They have suffered enough!” She also added the hashtag “We are all Jernejc” to express her support for the landowner.
Landowner on the route of the C0 sewerage channel: “With his lawsuit, Janković has taken this to a personal level!”
Jernejc, the owner of the land, also commented on the lawsuit for our media outlet. “Zoran Janković announced yesterday at a press conference that he has filed a private lawsuit as Zoran Janković. If I remember correctly, he also stated that he was paying for it. He allegedly cited libel or slander as the reason for the lawsuit. I have not received the lawsuit yet; I have not received anything to date, I have not received any notification. However, I recorded the conversation in question to protect our safety in our home.”
“As I have already testified before the Commission of Inquiry: they came completely unannounced, on the evening of Sunday, the 10th of December 2024, and knocked on our door. The matter was filmed out of pure precaution and revealed all these actions of the Municipality of Ljubljana. They were not direct threats, they were even finely ‘wrapped’ in the style of ‘look, you have already gone through all this in the Stožice case, you know what the result will be, you will not be able to do anything, come on, sell the Stožice plot, and then maybe keep fighting’. With his lawsuit, Zoran Janković has taken this matter to a personal level because he wants to intimidate us a little and to make an example out of us for others, who still dare not speak up,” Jernejc added.
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