On Friday, the Celje Court acquitted Janez Janša, Branko Kastelic and Klemen Gantar in the Trenta case. As this is a first instance court ruling, it is not yet final. A rally against the abuse of the judiciary was held in front of the court.
Janez Janša and Branko Kastelic were facing a two-year prison sentence. Many pointed out that the trial was a legal farce and a construct, a trial that should never have happened.
Janša expressed his gratitude for the support
Janša was greeted by supporters before he arrived at the court. As usual, the rally began with the Slovenian anthem. Shortly after the verdict, Janša addressed the crowd. “After almost fifteen years of interrogations, trials, media smears, theft of health and life, freedom and time, an acquittal has now been handed down here. This would not have happened if it had not been for you,” Janša was clear and expressed his sincere gratitude. He also thanked his family, who have suffered a lot during this time and stood by him.
The fight is not over here
“Thank you to my parliamentary colleagues and others who fought with me. Thank you to all the people of good will who believed that injustice must not win!” Despite the fact that, according to Janša, this trial was a farce, which was clear and visible to all from the start, the prosecutor asked for a sentence of two years in prison. This was not granted, but Janša pointed out that more was taken away from them in the process itself. “This victory today is more a victory in quotation marks. Our fight is not over here. Because there are many others who are still caught in similar processes. For example, Judge Radonjić, one of the few who gave a fair trial. Half of my colleagues from the last government, who saved lives and health during the time of the Covid-19 epidemic, are in various proceedings.” He pointed out that at the same time, there are hundreds of people in Slovenian courts that they do not know, who are in various proceedings, and should never have been caught up in them. “If for no other reason, we need to fight because these procedures last 5, 10, 15 years. Justice delayed is justice denied. No matter what it is in the end. That is why today, our fight is only beginning.”
The same prosecutor who, in this case, demanded two years in prison for the director of a company who made a profit on a deal, has not, according to Janša, brought criminal charges against the minister who signed the contract for the purchase of the dilapidated building on Litijska Street in Ljubljana, that was intended for courts. “They filed charges against the officials at the Ministry of Justice, but not against the minister who signed a contract for a dilapidated building that is a ten-minute walk from her office – and she did not even go to see it, nor against the finance minister who provided the money for the dilapidated building out of emergency funds,” he was critical, adding that they were untouchable. “That’s why we will fight for all those who are caught up in unjust proceedings and against those who are not, but should be.” He said the time is coming when this will happen.
“They have stolen a lot from us, they have taken a lot from us, in fact, they have stolen our country. They have turned our beautiful Slovenia into a Yugoslav pariah state. Not Serbian, because that would be an insult to Serbia. And thus, today, we have people from the very top of the deep state who don’t even know whether to run for office in Ljubljana or Belgrade,” he pointed out, adding that they are completely untouchable. He recalled that it was the eleventh year since Janković had answered on Zagreb television, when asked if he was afraid of being imprisoned, that he was not, because he had always been a strong opponent of Janez Janša’s policies. “That is the criterion of the rule of law in our country.”
The Slovenian Democratic Party is the only force that can take back Slovenia’s stolen state
“They say not all judges are like that. However, there is a lot of injustice in the Slovenian judiciary. If this is an independent system, let it be cleaned up,” Janša stressed. “Let the competent authorities change the presidents of the courts, because things are not being done in order, but in such a way that the right people always get their hands on the right things. Let this happen, and we will start to believe that things are being sorted out,” he added, noting that this will not happen on its own until each one of us uses the weapon that exists in democracy, and that is the vote. “Now, when it comes down to it, Mr Janković has only one vote, just like each and every one of us. But this vote must be used, and we need to realise that every vote that is organised is worth five times more. So, those of you who are still thinking about organising or joining, welcome to the Slovenian Democratic Party (Slovenska demokratska stranka – SDS). This is the only force that can take back Slovenia’s stolen country and make Slovenia what we voted for in the plebiscite.”
Janša: You are only one step away from being banned from voting
Janša stressed that the vote could be used soon. “Use it, otherwise they can ban you from that, too. Because for the first time in the history of a democratic country, the authorities are calling for a boycott of elections,” he pointed out, adding that if they are so convinced that it is right that a privileged few get a pension supplement that is three times bigger than many people’s pensions, then they should go to the referendum and vote for it. “Not call for a boycott. Not take away from citizens the fundamental power that everyone has in a democracy. You are only one step away from having your vote banned. Because what is also happening is that by voting on such matters in Parliament, they are taking away your power,” he was critical, adding that we have a Parliament in order to allow different opinions, different interests to clash.
“Regardless of the acquittal today, which would not have happened without you, we are very far already, and the wake-up call does not happen at 5 to 12, but at 12. On the 11th of May, the first test will take place. If there are not enough of you then, I do not know if you will ever be able to vote in the referendum again. Tell the others that this is for real. But it is also true that today is a big holiday, Good Friday.” He recalled that they had referred to the trials at Christmas. “Kučan’s communists held their last congress at Christmas time in 1989 to prove that they were still the real ones. They tried people at Christmas trials. For some people, nothing is sacred, but for us, it is,” he pointed out and suggested that the rally be disbanded. He suggested that we should gather whenever we breathe injustice instead of clean air. “And that we should come together every time we fight to take back the Slovenian state, this beautiful homeland.” “Thank you again for all your support from the bottom of my heart. You are the hope for a better Slovenia.” He wished everyone a blessed Easter. “Freedom for Slovenia!”
Before Janša took the floor, SDS MP Anja Bah Žibert spoke, reminding everyone at the rally that Good Friday is the day of commemoration of the greatest injustice in the history of mankind, the crucifixion of the innocent. She added that this is happening today in our society, on this ground, in this building. She described the Trenta trial as a political trial, a judgment based not on facts but on a political construct, aimed at silencing a voice that disturbs the convenience of power. “Today, Janša is being tried because the fear of an upright opposition is too great. Today, he is being tried because such a voice must be silenced. Today, they are judging to keep their power unchecked, unquestioned and unaccountable.” She also noted that every injustice has a wider circle of victims.
After the verdict, SDS MEP Romana Tomc spoke out, pointing out that no one can ever compensate for the suffering that Janša and his family have endured during this political process. “Nevertheless, this verdict gives hope that the power of the deep state is waning. This is good for Slovenia,” she believes.
“We can definitely say that justice has prevailed for a change,” MEP Branko Grims told the press after the verdict, adding that it was probably also a result of the fact that what happened here could not be defended internationally. He said that the international public had also been warned, including by himself personally in Budapest, where he was recently. “The fact is that those who did this thing must now be held accountable. Look, the first hearing took place on Mrs Janša’s – Urška’s birthday, the second hearing on Janša’s birthday, the verdict on Good Friday,” he pointed out, adding that this was clearly judicial chicanery. This, he said, is a clear abuse of the judiciary to settle scores with right-wing parties, with right-wing candidates. This is not limited to Slovenia, it is also happening in France, Italy, Poland, etc. Only if those responsible are held accountable will Slovenia be a country governed by the rule of law. “This is about taking Slovenia back. Slovenia must be what we made it at independence, a democratic republic where the people have the power.”
“Finally, an acquittal! After 15 years of abuse of the judiciary and media hype, Janez Janša was acquitted in court today in the Trenta farce. Apparently, the judge had the good sense to decide that in this country, you can still sell your property for more than you bought it. Unfortunately, no one can compensate for all the political and personal damage that has been done,” pointed out SDS MP Žan Mahnič, adding that the judiciary will have to be fundamentally reformed, starting with the introduction of personal material liability of judges and the abolition of permanent tenure.
Vice-President of the SDS party and former Interior Minister Aleš Hojs described the acquittal of Janez Janša and his co-defendants as surprising. “All the previous trials against our President have proved to be highly rigged and have led in the direction that the transitional left has wanted for 30 years – namely, the complete disabling of Mr Janez Janša,” Hojs stressed. He added that these decisions have been nothing but shots in the foot of the judiciary, noting that apparently, the good part of the judiciary, the fair judges, have finally had enough of it. He also said he believes that the judiciary will now finally be cleansed.
Jože Biščak, a long-time journalist and host of the show Kavarna Hayek (The Hayek Caffe), also spoke out about the verdict, noting that Janša’s acquittal on Friday “does not mean that Slovenia does not have a deep-state-influenced criminal justice system”. “The latter has simply judged that it does not suit it at this moment to have Janša convicted in a process that should not have taken place at all in a free and democratic country. But I’ll tell you what will happen. The prosecution will appeal, the higher court will uphold the prosecution’s appeal (without any public hearing), and Janša will be finally convicted before the elections. So, the fight for justice is not over. Let’s not fool ourselves!”
The prosecution charged former Imos director Branko Kastelic with the crime of abuse of office to the detriment of the company, and former Eurogradne director Klemen Gantar and SDS president Janša with aiding and abetting the offence. It proposed two years’ imprisonment each for Janša and the first defendant, Kastelic, and a year’s suspended sentence for Gantar. According to the Slovenian Press Agency (STA), the prosecution also proposed “confiscation of illegally acquired property”.
Možina: We are living in a dictatorship
“If we delve into the Trenta affair, we are necessarily confronted with the horrifying realisation that we are living in an open dictatorship of abuse of the judiciary to destroy a political rival and his family,” pointed out Dr Jože Možina, a long-time RTV Slovenia journalist and historian, about the case. He is convinced that we will have to do much more to achieve the democracy we deserve. “More courage, as much as one can show!” he stressed.
Ž. N.
