The most resistance has evoked the proposal that state lawyers would stop being state officials, and the State Attorney 's Office would become a body within the Ministry of Justice. But it seems the Minister will yield a little.
The new Attorney General Jurij Groznik insists that the State Attorney's Office is working well, but the public still remembers the Ormož case. The state had to pay the compensation of almost 9 million due to late response by the State Attorney's Office. And then there is the last case, i.e. the compensation of three and a half million which went to an entrepreneur from Kranj because of excessively long proceedings, which could have been at least reduced - but the action got lost somewhere between the reception office, and the register at the State Attorney's Office. No explanation has been found…
It was the last straw, and the Minister of Justice Goran Klemenčič announced that the attorneys would become the lawyers for the state, subordinate directly to the Minister of Justice, and that their status would change from a state official to a public servant.
The new act is also increasing the disciplinary accountability of the state attorneys, and increasing the supervision of their work. Disciplinary proceedings will be initiated on request by the Minister of Justice. The Attorney-General would not be appointed by the National Assembly, but by the government.
The State Attorney's Office believes that such a great reform is not necessary, as modifications of the valid act and some changes in the organisation of work would be enough. But their proposal will probably fail. According to Klemenčič, the government will probably adopt the new act on State Attorney's Office at the end of the year. But there will probably be a compromise - the State Attorney's Office will probably remain an independent body, and state attorneys - at least the higher ones - will probably remain state officials.