One person was detained yesterday in Maribor by the criminal police on charges of tax evasion. According to reports by Finance business daily the person in question is Rado Snežič (edit: According to today’s Dnevnik, Rado Snežič is abroad and the person detained is his second-in-command), owner and CEO of Meltal, a company dealing in scrap non-ferrous metal. This may or may not be connected to Operation Clean Shovel, but the proximity of two events suggests at least a moderately strong link.
Kolonel post-box (source) and Rado Snežič w/wife (source).
Now, Rado Snežič could just be a wrong man and a wrong place at the wrong time, but as he apparently holds more than just tangential connection to Laško Brewery, the whole “war on tycoons” declared by PM Janez Janša during the vote of no confidence is begining to take on shape and form. And the main target right now seems to be Laško’s Boško Šrot, who broke Janša’s influence on Delo daily and got hold of Mercator retail chain in the process, swindling Janša big time in the process.
But is this really a war against tycoons or is the prime minister simply holding a grudge and looking to score some cheap political points?
I’d go for the second option. And sad as it is, seems to be working. Don’t know why should it, as the PM who is pissing them off now in a superhero fashion is the PM who has let them be there for the last four years.
BTW… what’s with this new “tycoon here tajkun there tycoon tycoon everywhere” fashion ? For sure there are synonyms for the word. :S
Tycoon sums it up nicely in the ears of the simple, so the term is marvelously abused. It started in Croatia, though. The use of “tycoon” as a dirty word, I mean.
This is just a political show for the naives…why?… look at ORION: every little dirty thing came out to the open, media covered every angle of it, people had documents, which stated how big of a thief Lužar is and what…he walks…
Slovenian judicial system is a joke…
Jansa is very afraid and the fear brings out the best in people. He is again playing a tactically skillful game, but strategically he lost a long time ago. The smart thing to do now is to keep quiet and avoid being sucked into this anti-tycoon whirlpool – if everything plays out wonderfully, Jansa should be among the ones never to emerge from it again.
@susie q:
Slovenian judicial system works… when it is left alone to do the job properly. But when it is abused for political purposes, these things happen. Besides – the case is far from closed. There are still 45 count of fraud left and if he is nailed on at least one of them, it might be enough. Hey, they got Al Capone for tax evasion 😀
@Der Komisar: Janša might actually be playing to lose, you know… So he can say to the people something like “I tried but the corrupt judiciary and remnants of the old system prevented justice from being served”
It’s obvious bullshit, but it might strike a chord with enough people to get him re-elected. Remember, you only need some 30% of the vote to get the top spot.
@P: You write:
“I tried but the corrupt judiciary and remnants of the old system prevented justice from being served”
That’s an interesting take. He always was the poor-me type a guy.
He is not playing to lose, but he is very good at presenting his lost battles, of which there are many, as a consequence of evil conspiracies. That is basically his modus operandi. No other could keep him politically alive. No other politician has lost so many elections, yet has been able to remain firmly in control of his party.
That’s an interesting point… I might be overreaching here, but at times it seems that JJ is just not accustomed to winning, that he wants to go down in a blaze of glory, so to speak. But is that a premeditated rationale or some basic instinct?
As the grand old masters of the Commission say: You’ve got to keep your Commissioner safe – from himself. What Jansa lacks is a consigliere.
Bloody right you are! That will be his undoing….
He can’t stand happiness, coz deep down he doesn’t believe he really deserves it.
that’s why he could perform gloriously when he was in opposition, but now he’s a prime minister, he’s the leader of Europe for 6th months so to speak, he’s got a beautiful, intelligent young girl friend who adores him (for the time being at least)but deep down he’s still that shy, quiet, frightened boy, Angelca Likovič, his teacher in primary school described.
Problem is he’s defending this vulnerability too fiercely, he thinks showing his weakness would be a bad thing,
but ppl loved Drnovšek also because he didn’t have this problem, showing that he’s human and not some super politician.
As an Austrian psychologist once said, it’s easier to fight for one’s principles than to live up to them.
Pengovsky: Slovenian judicial system works… when it is left alone to do the job properly.
Like when? Perhaps you can refresh our memory and write down three cases of when Slovene judicial system worked like it should. Take a time parallel from 1945 to 2007.
Aja: He can’t stand happiness, coz deep down he doesn’t believe he really deserves it.
Heheh… What a wonderful in-depth summarum, Aja… Do we have here another orphan of a bankrupt culture who thinks he/she is Taras Kermauner?
I don’t think that quiet and shy Jansa has anything to do with not allowing himself the happyness than with the climate of 60s and 70s. But since I am almost 100% positive you did not live in those iron times of “people’s happyness” nor your parents or grandparents probably didn’t face the stigmatization it would be futile trying to explain to you the meaning of “quietness” and “shyness”.
nor your parents or grandparents were stigmatized
So, let’s hear all about your stigmatization, or the one your parents or grand parent had to suffer.
Obviously we’re ignorant about that part of slovene history.
So, tell us about it, I’m listening.
@Aja: Duck! 😀
@Karel: Like everytime politics left the judicial system to its own devices. Just as I said.
Aja: So, let’s hear all about your stigmatization, or the one your parents or grand parent had to suffer. Obviously we’re ignorant about that part of slovene history. So, tell us about it, I’m listening.
If you are ignorant, you are obviously not listening. What’z to talk about?
Pengy: Like everytime politics left the judicial system to its own devices. Just as I said.
When did politics left the Slovene judicial system to its own han… eh… pardon… devices? In 1941? In 1943? 1945? In 1953? In 1958? In 1963? In 1970? Maybe in 1975? Or 1979? The year of Tito’s death in 1980? Or 1984? Perhaps you meant 1989? Or 1993? Or 1998? Or 2000? What about 2002? 2004? Perhaps 2005?
Please tell us what we obviously don’t know, so that we may judge your comment by its facts.
I’m sorry, I forgot… The judicial system only began working two weeks ago, when Ivan Zidar and the rest of the gang were arrested and then released. Really, a terrible faux pas on my part. Please don’t tell the PM! Pretty please?
“Obviously we’re ignorant”
meant obviously you think that we’re ignorant about certain facts, that we don’t know stuff that happened in Slovenija, that’s why I invited you to explain to us all about the stigmatisations you mentioned
Unlike Karel not to use a soapbox when presented with one, don’t you think?
🙂
Unlike? Not so sure about that 🙂
I must remember those pointers when I come to post. Particularly the “thick or sad” issue!
Oh, come on now 🙂 besides, all those goodies give you an unlimited credit line in my book 😉
**Thinks** Must send more MP3s! Which reminds me….
Pengy: I’m sorry, I forgot… The judicial system only began working two weeks ago, when Ivan Zidar and the rest of the gang were arrested and then released. Really, a terrible faux pas on my part. Please don’t tell the PM! Pretty please?
The judicial system works when justice prevails and small, middle and big criminals are put behind bar. Something like in normal countries say Finland or Norway… Changing people or governments does not help. But then again you know this. If not from elsewhere then through your family relatives.
Aja: “Obviously we’re ignorant” meant obviously you think that we’re ignorant about certain facts, that we don’t know stuff that happened in Slovenija, that’s why I invited you to explain to us all about the stigmatisations you mentioned
Take the penal law of Socialist Republic of Slovenia from 1947 and you will find the “certain facts”. However, I am sure you won’t. People who tend to be ignorant are also often lazy. This is why most of them decide to become journalists. 🙂
The judicial system works when justice prevails
Justice by Karel, I take it? Oh, and you’re wrong. People who are ignorant are seldomly lazy. They are very active, mostly on ancient blog posts, fighting ghosts noone else sees.