In September, Alma Sedlar announced she was “tendering her irrevocable resignation” as deputy head of Slovenia’s anti-graft watchdog. She told Pahor that “her work had been made impossible” and that “the country’s top officials had turned a blind eye to what was going on at the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption”.

Pahor was going to appoint a new deputy head in December, but the selection commission said that none of the candidates met the required criteria. In January, the selection commission repeated the nomination procedure, and Pahor now picked Uroš Novak as his candidate. Novak currently works at Slovenske Železnice, the state-owned rail operator, and had previously worked as a tax inspector.
A total of seven candidates applied in the public call, and the selection commission put forward three candidates: Novak, Mirjam Dular, and Sandi Sendelbah.

The selection commission consisted of Mitja Horvat, an MP and chair of the Privileges and Credentials Commission, Benjamin Flander, a professor at the Faculty of Criminal Justice and Security, University of Maribor, Jana Petrič, the vice president of the Judicial Council of the Republic of Slovenia, Albin Igličar, a member of the Slovenian Public Administration Council, and Katarina Bervar Sternad of the Legal Information Centre for NGOs.

Public presentation on March 1
Pahor will appoint Novak after a public presentation on March 1 “if Novak can meet the high expectations of the public,” the President’s Office said.