Slovenian PM Dismisses Corruption Allegations As "Absurd"
Tuesday September 9th, 2008 / 14h28
LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AFP)--Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa dismissed as "absurd" Tuesday claims he accepted bribes from a Finnish defense contractor in a scandal that looks set to overshadow this month's elections. Addressing a special parliamentary debate on the matter, Jansa urged lawmakers to "close the issue for the moment and reopen it as soon as any proof to these absurd accusations is published." Jansa's Slovenian Democratic Party, or SDS, had called the extraordinary session after a Finnish public broadcaster, YLE, alleged the premier personally took bribes in connection with a $402 million contract to buy 135 armored vehicles from Finnish defense firm Patria in 2006. It was the biggest military contract ever signed by Ljubljana. The Finnish state owns 73% of Patria, while the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company, or EADS, (5730.FR) has a 27% stake. Jansa has denied the allegations and demanded that the broadcaster apologize. But the accusations are overshadowing preparations for a general election on Sept. 21. In the special debate, which started at 1000 GMT and was expected to last late into the evening, Jansa was the first to take the floor. "Instead of discussing how we could make our lives better via elections, we're discussing about whether or not I took bribes," he said. "We have elections in 10 days, and whoever wins, the new government will need to know what its priorities are and what voters want. In six months' time, no-one will still be talking about Patria," he said. Jansa insisted that he didn't exert any pressure on the Defense Ministry during the tender for the contract or try to influence the outcome of the negotiations. His SDS party claims the center-left opposition is trying to discredit Jansa, the Defense Ministry and top army officials. Defense Minister Karl Erjavec also addressed the parliament, insisting that the deal had been negotiated in "the most transparent way possible." "So far, no irregularities have been found. But since the report was published, everybody is talking about bribery," Erjavec said. The minister noted that Slovenia had been obliged to acquire the armored vehicles after becoming a North Atlantic Treaty Organization member in 2004. The main opposition party, the Social Democrats, suggested the debate be postponed until the government came up with additional documents and reports related to the deal. But the motion was rejected by the ruling center-right majority. Matej Lahovnik, a member of another opposition party, the center-left Zares, accused the government of turning parliament into a "pre-election boxing ring." Following the debate, which was being broadcasted live on radio and television, the four-party coalition is expected to file a motion in support of Jansa. Click here to go to Dow Jones NewsPlus, a web front page of today's most important business and market news, analysis and commentary: http://www.djnewsplus.com/al?rnd=Mn44SV778ieEBBF7fJJz4Q%3D%3D. You can use this link on the day this article is published and the following day.
