Dominika Švarc Pipan and Emilia Stojmenova Duh are two ministers who symbolise the internal corruption of the Golob government. Both are embroiled in serious scandals, each worth more than 6 million euros of taxpayers’ money. But even though the former Minister of Agriculture, Aleksandra Pivec, was practically assassinated in the media over a few slices of prosciutto and some Terrano wine, just because she was in the wrong government, both of the aforementioned ministers are safe from media attacks because they are members of the “preferred” government. This time, however, things have gone too far. In both cases, potentially serious damage has been done to the state. If the Golob government does not dismiss both ministers, it will lose whatever moral compass it still has. The two ministers themselves, of course, will not resign, because they do not feel guilty, just like former Minister of Public Administration of the current government, Sanja Ajanovič Hovnik, who defended her controversial business dealings with her NGO friends and even with her own mother until the very last day before the Freedom Movement (Gibanje svoboda) coalition gave up on her.
The Ministry of Justice overpaid for a building on Litijska cesta in Ljubljana for 6 million euros (it was bought for 7.7 million euros, while the previous owner bought it for 1.7 million euros). The National Bureau of Investigation (NPU) is now also looking into the deal, which seems a lot like a conspiracy involving the appraiser. It concerns a property owned by Sebastjan Vežnaver, and it was also his (i.e. the buyer’s) appraiser who was used in the deal.
Meanwhile, four computer equipment suppliers have signed a dream deal with the Ministry of Digital Transformation. Namely, two and a half months ago, the web portal Preiskovalno.si (“preiskovalno” translates to investigative) revealed that the Ministry of Digital Transformation had spent almost 6.5 million euros (6,472,667.50 euros including VAT) on the purchase of 13,000 low-performance laptops. The public funds were divided between four companies – Unistar, Lamcom, Acord-92 and Gambit Trade. Each company was allocated 1.6 million euros for the purchase of 3,250 laptops. However, there was a great deal of confusion regarding how the public funds were spent and who would be the intended recipients of the computers, which were not suitable for serious work due to the inferior quality of the graphics cards and older processors. The purchase of the computers has also come under scrutiny of the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption (KPK).
Excuses by ministers verge on the absurd
The Ministry of Justice, headed by Dominika Švarc Pipan, is making excuses regarding the forensic appraiser, who supposedly valued the building as she did, and the Minister had the cynicism to even “thank” the investigative journalists of the show Tarča (Target) for discovering the difference in price, as if it did not concern her, even though she is, of course, as Minister responsible for all the deals that are concluded with the Ministry, since they bear her signature.
We can understand her position better if we remember that the fallen Minister of Public Administration, Sanja Ajanović Hovnik, told RTV Slovenia that she herself does not look at all the contracts she signs. This is, of course, a scandal and complete dilettantism, but it seems to be the modus operandi of this government, or at the very least, if we think of the best-case scenario, proof of the incompetence of a Minister who has been robbed of 6 million euros in a deal that was carried out behind her back. However, the worst and most horrifying scenario is that the Minister is involved in the theft. In any case, her resignation should have been a given.
Things are even more bizarre at the Ministry of Digital Transformation. Despite indications as to who all the recently purchased computers are intended for, it is still not clear who will actually get them in the end, and what is more, the Ministry does not even know where they are being stored! Let us remind you again that we are talking about 13,000 computers!
The Ministry of Digital Transformation says the computers are intended for equipping kindergartens and primary schools, but the Ministry of Education knew nothing about that. Despite the Ministry of Digital Transformation explaining that the computers were intended to equip kindergartens and primary schools, Minister Emilija Stojmenova Duh insisted that the computers purchased were intended for children from socially disadvantaged families. The story did not end there, however, as an article was inserted in the August 2023 Act Determining Intervention Measures for Recovery from the Floods and Landslides, under which the computers would also be distributed to those affected by the floods.
To date (the 13th of January 2024), 39 (thirty-nine!) of the 13,000 computers have been handed over for use. Even today, two and a half months after the revelation of a story that suggests irrational use of public funds, it is not clear where the computers will go. Although the Ministry of Digital Transformation received the computers on the 21st of November, instead of being in the hands of users, they are sitting in a warehouse, and no one knows which one.
We asked an IT expert who works full-time in the civil service but doesn’t want to go public with the following information for fear of losing his job for his opinion on the sensibility of purchasing the laptops in question. He said that he does not see any need in the civil service for such a large number of low-performance computers, which are fast enough for everyday work, but not good enough for professional use, especially if they are to be used for civil service workers, as the programmes running on the service computers need a lot of power and RAM to run normally. He is also surprised by the price, saying that computers with the same specifications can be found on the website ceneje.si (“ceneje ” translates to cheaper) for 400-450 euros. In his opinion, this whole thing looks like a deal between the Ministry and the computer sellers who wanted to get rid of older equipment. He was also surprised that a government spokeswoman had recently spoken about a processor “upgrade” for computers – on laptops, the processor is a part of the main printed circuit board, and although it could be replaced, it is an economically pointless operation.
A waste of public money
In both cases, what happened appears to be a catastrophic waste of taxpayers’ money.
The Ministry of Justice – without even checking the price with its own appraiser – overpaid for the building by 6 million euros, compared with the price that was paid for the same building three years ago. The Minister did not find the price unusual, moreover, she “praised” the journalists for discovering the difference in price, completely forgetting that this was her job, and not the job of the journalists to catch politicians in the act, then correct their “mistakes” as soon as they figure out what happened. The net damage to taxpayers is 6 million euros.
The Ministry of Digital Transformation bought an incredible 13,000 computers without even knowing to whom and why it was going to distribute them, or where it was going to store them. This is not only contrary to the principle of good business, but smells strongly of fraud, where computer equipment suppliers and politicians have agreed to put into circulation computers from previous generations that they can no longer sell in the shops. The price was 100 to 200 euros higher than similar computers with older generation processors cost on online shops – despite the fact that huge quantities are usually discounted! And we should also not overlook the fact that – depending on the generation of the processors – these are laptops that have been in storage for years, so there is also the question of the condition of the lithium-ion batteries, which are not as good as they were in the beginning after being stored for long periods of time (there is talk of a 3-5 percent loss of full capacity). The final net loss to the taxpayer is 6 million euros, given that apparently, no one really needs the laptops, because the Ministry is not yet in a position to distribute them.
The breakdown of the rule of law and functional accountability
So, what are we taxpayers to think, while those in power are trying to convince us every day that there is no money, so no infectious diseases clinics are being built, no University Medical Centres are being renovated, and there is not enough money to implement long-term care under the Janša law or the Janša government’s income tax reform?
When the ordinary citizen looks at what the rulers are doing, he or she quickly comes to the conclusion that incredible, almost mafia-like deals are going on at the level of the highest executive power, and no one is ever held accountable for anything. Even the fallen Minister of Public Administration was defended by her party, the Freedom Movement (Gibanje svoboda), until the bitter end, when it became apparent that public opinion simply would not stand for her outlandish excuses about giving money to her NGO friends. It seems that the Freedom Movement and the Social Democrats (Socialni demokrati – SD) will do the same with the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Digital Transformation. They will wait to see if the public outcry subsides, and then act if it does not.
Such tactics are a sign of the complete breakdown of the rule of law, as it is obvious that the government is unable or unwilling to confront allegations of corruption within its own ranks. How could it, when the Prime Minister is the owner of a company that works directly with the state and benefits from the government’s green policy decisions. Such a country is more reminiscent of Russia, Belarus, or Venezuela than it is of a European Union country based on the rule of law.
It is also worth noting that more than a decade ago, the then-Minister of the Interior, Katarina Kresal, resigned after the Ministry of the Interior wanted – in a case very similar to the modern-day case of Švarc Pipan – to lease premises on Dimičeva Street in Ljubljana at an inflated price. It turned out that she had several private contacts with the landlord of the building. At the time, the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption found that the conduct in renting the premises for the National Bureau of Investigation (NPU) met the definition of corruption.
Even then – way back in 2011 – we believed that there was a real breakdown of the system and serial violations of the rule of law in the Pahor troika. But that country is, by modern legal standards, the new Switzerland. In Robert Golob’s country, however, mafia business is allowed as long as the public is willing to tolerate it. It therefore depends on the public’s reaction whether the two ministers will resign. It is more than obvious that they deserve to resign.
Mitja Iršič
