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🇸🇮 Slovenia /Elections & Politics

Svoboda: Coalition silence over Stevanović convictions is ordinary cronyism

From Delo · () Slovenian

Translated from Slovenian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • A media report revealed another final conviction involving Slovenian parliamentary speaker Zoran Stevanović, who was convicted 15 years ago and ordered to repay €2,500.
  • Stevanović’s office said he would not comment on old, expunged cases unrelated to his political work and noted that no criminal proceeding is pending against him.
  • Opposition party Svoboda accused the coalition of protecting political interests and again called for Stevanović’s resignation.

Slovenia’s parliamentary speaker, Zoran Stevanović, has been finally convicted at least three times, according to a disclosure by the broadcaster Pop TV. The latest report published a judgment linked to a fraud case involving the country’s second-highest official.

Fifteen years ago, the Kranj Local Court sentenced Stevanović to six months in prison, suspended, and ordered him to repay €2,500 that he had obtained through fraud. The report said he had borrowed money and offered the victim a car as security even though the car did not belong to him.

old, concluded and expunged cases that are not connected to his political activities

· Zoran Stevanović's officeThe parliamentary speaker’s office explained why he would not comment on the disclosed convictions.

Stevanović’s office said he would not comment on “old, concluded and expunged cases that are not connected to his political activities.” It added that he could present a certificate confirming a clean criminal record at any time and that no criminal proceedings were currently under way against him. Stevanović’s position is that convictions removed from the criminal register no longer exist for him.

Expunging convictions does not expunge the acts.

· SvobodaThe opposition party rejected Stevanović’s argument that removed convictions no longer exist for him.

The coalition parties that depend on support from the formally opposition Resnica party have remained silent over the latest disclosure. Svoboda, by contrast, said that “expunging convictions does not expunge the acts.” The opposition party argued that removing judgments from a record does not mean the current parliamentary speaker did not commit fraud or make threats, and said public officials must meet the highest standards of honesty, integrity and responsibility.

Svoboda again called on Stevanović to resign. It blamed the parties that supported his rise, including SDS, NSi and Demokrati, and said Prime Minister Janez Janša was the main sponsor of his political ascent. It described the relationship among the four right-wing parties as “ordinary cronyism” and accused the coalition of valuing votes for power above the credibility of democratic institutions.

Ordinary cronyism

· SvobodaSvoboda used the phrase to characterize the relationship among the coalition parties supporting Stevanović.
About this summary

Originally published by Delo in Slovenian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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