Presenting the achievements on his first anniversary as justice minister, Goran Klemenčič said returning the people’s trust in justice and strengthening the rule of law are among his key goals. "The task is not easy, but it is not impossible. The outcome does not only depend on the executive branch. A lot has been done in this one year."

In the past year 12 acts in the field of justice have been amended or prepared. Among them the amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act and Criminal Code, where an emphasis has been put on the seizure of unlawfully gained assets. Higher penalties have also been introduced for corruptive activities and tax evasion.

The role of the prosecution has also been strengthened. In short, a new 30 prosecutors will take oath and start working. The state has already secured funds for their employment. "It will be the biggest reinforcement of the prosecution in the last twenty years," stressed Klemenčič.

An increased number of employees in prisons
According to Klemenčič the trend of lowering the number of judicial police officers in the penitentiary system has also slowed down. In the last couple of years the number of officers has been continuously dropping, while the number of prisoners has been on the rise. Klemenčič also praised the ministry’s achievements in the area of saving, by decreasing the amount paid off for so-called “empty bankruptcies” and the tariff for defending by official duty by a half.

The minister said the judiciary is not only made up of cases like Patria, Kordež, Bavčar … However they do represent a problem from a case law point of view. "The executive branch has no instruments to deal with such cases. We can only take part in organizing the work of the courts," he added.

Gregor Cerar, MMC;
translated by K. J.