STA, 8 January 2020 - The Female Engineer of the Year title for 2019 went to Aida Kamišalić Latifić, a researcher and professor at the Maribor Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics, as the award ceremony was held on Wednesday in the Cankarjev Dom arts centre. Kamišalić Latifić came to Slovenia as a Bosnian war refugee in 1992.

The judging panel considers the winner's life story "an inspiration for the young, encouraging them to follow their engineering dreams - even if the circumstances in which they dream are challenging".

Kamišalić Latifić's life motto is "they can take everything away from you, except knowledge". She already excelled as a student, receiving the faculty's commendation for her research work. In 2014, she acquired a doctoral degree in computer science and informatics.

Tisti, ki so jim blizu matematika, fizika, kemija, naj si upajo sanjati o takšnih poklicih, otrokom, ki se odločajo o svojem poklicu, sporoča inženirka leta 2019 dr. Aida Kamišalić Latifić.✨➡️https://t.co/DOysIUGQVN

— Časoris (@CasorisUrednik) January 9, 2020

Her research has been recently focused on blockchain technology. She is an inventor and advocate for female-friendly working spaces at the Institute of Informatics, being a supporter of the Ladies in Informatics initiative.

Apart from busting gender myths in an occupation dominated by men, she also does that on the football field, playing for an all-women team.

Kamišalić Latifić was chosen among ten nominees who are all promoting engineering, science and innovation.

The title was awarded for the second time - last year it went to Dora Domanjko, an electrotechnology expert. The competition is organised by IRT3000, a magazine focusing on innovation, development and technology, Mediade, a company providing assistance with product development, and partners.

The event aims to promote women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). In Europe, there is a gender imbalance in these areas, with only some 25% of such studies being undertaken by women.

In Slovenia, the situation looks somewhat more promising, with female STEM students accounting for about a third of all such students.

One of the main reasons why young women are not choosing STEM careers is also a lack of role models and inadequate explanation of the role of engineers in societal development, said the organisers.

Labour Ministry Ksenija Klampfer pointed out in her address at the ceremony that gender stereotypes were still present in society and urged putting an end to them.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Jernej Pikalo said that as long as gender discrimination and inequalities were not stopped, society needed positive discrimination and role models.

STA, 8 January - The Supreme Court has annulled the death sentence of Slovenian general Leon Rupnik (1880-1946), who collaborated with the occupying forces during World War II, on an appeal from his relative, and sent the case to the Ljubljana District Court for retrial, the newspapers Dnevnik and Večer reported on Wednesday.

Rupnik was a general in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in WWI and later collaborated with the Fascist Italian and Nazi German occupation forces during World War II.

Wikipedia, CC-by-0

He served as the president of the Provincial Government of the Nazi-occupied Province of Ljubljana in 1943-1945, and was also chief inspector of the Domobranci (Slovene Home Guard), a collaborationist militia.

In May 1945, Rupnik fled to Austria, where he was arrested by the British and returned to Yugoslavia in early 1946. He was court-martialled along with several other people and sentenced to death for treason and collaboration with the occupiers later that year.

Rupnik on stage with fellow Nazis in Ljubljana

The verdict was confirmed by the Supreme Court of the Yugoslav Army, and the appeal for clemency was rejected on 2 September 1946.

Rupnik was executed by firing squad in Ljubljana on the same day and buried in Žale Cemetery in an unmarked grave.

One of his descendants, allegedly a grandson, had filed an appeal on a point of law through an attorney, and the appeal has now been granted by the Supreme Court.

The part of the verdict relating to Rupnik has been annulled and the case has been returned to the Ljubljana District Court for retrial.

According to the newspapers, the court says that the verdict was not in compliance with the legal principles at the time, and that not all accusations of the acts he had been sentenced for had been supported with facts and circumstances.

For one of the acts the court has found that it does not bear signs of a criminal act.

Rupnik's relative claimed, among other things, that the verdict had not been sufficiently explained, that the reasons conflict each other, that he was violated his right to defence, and that judges who had reached the verdict should have been excluded.

STA, 9 January 2020 - A large-scale wooden effigy of US President Donald Trump, which had recently been relocated to Moravče, some 30 kilometres east of Ljubljana, has been torched, the Moravče municipality said on Thursday.

There were photos circulating on social media in the morning showing the charred remains of the completely torched wooden structure. The municipality has called a press conference for 10am to speak about the incident.

The statue, standing almost eight metres tall and mimicking the Statue of Liberty, had originally been erected in Selo, a small village some 20 kilometres north of Ljubljana, in August.

A multi-faceted critique of the US president, it was relocated to Moravče in late December due to unease that it was causing among the Selo locals and the media interest that came with it.

Moravče Mayor Milan Balažic at the time said Moravče would serve as a shelter for the art installation.

The night prior to the second unveiling the effigy was defaced with a Hitler moustache.

You can learn more about this sculpture here

Check the date at the top of the page, and you can find all the "morning headlines" stories here. You can also follow us on Facebook and get all the news in your feed.

A schedule of all the main events involving Slovenia this week can be found here

This summary is provided by the STA:

Slovenian soldiers to be pulled out from Erbil by evening

LJUBLJANA - The six Slovenian soldiers deployed in northern Iraq in the international operation Inherent Resolve are being pulled out after Iran attacked Erbil airport in retaliation for the US assassination of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. "The temporary withdrawal of Slovenian soldiers into the third country is expected to be carried out by evening and they should be home tomorrow," Defence Minister Karl Erjavec announced. The Foreign Ministry condemned the Iranian attacks on army bases and called on all sides to refrain from any activities that would escalate tensions in the region.

Middle East escalation seen as bad for business

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia has had minimum business presence in Iran but the latest escalation of tensions seen as bad for business in the entire Middle East. The escalation will make it more difficult to do business in the region, said Jure Stojan, a partner at the Institute of Strategic Studies. Of only two Slovenian companies that remained in Iran after sanctions were imposed, the telecommunications company Iskratel has since withdrawn, while engineering company Riko would not comment on its business in Iran.

Left wants to halt privatisation of railway cargo arm

LJUBLJANA - The opposition Left announced it would table a legislative motion to prevent the privatisation of the cargo arm of national rail operator Slovenske Železnice and its other subsidiaries. "There is no excuse why the Marjan Šarec government should not stop this privatisation procedure," Left deputy Miha Kordiš said. This was after it was reported last October that an agreement was reached to sell a minority interest in SŽ-Tovorni Promet to the Czech logistic giant EP Holding. The rail operator said it was not selling the cargo arm, but the idea was for a strategic partner to recapitalise it.

Health fund manager approves financial plan for 2020

LJUBLJANA - The health insurance institute ZZZS approved the 2020 financial plan. Expenditure is budgeted to increase by EUR 266 million compared to 2019 to EUR 3.32 billion. The institute is expected to operate at a EUR 10.4 million loss this year, which is to be covered by a surplus generated in the past. The budget approved by the ZZZS assembly is expected to see a revenue of EUR 3.309 billion this year, nearly EUR 205 million more than in 2019. The document is now pending approval by the government.

OTP bank planning to grow in Slovenia after SKB takeover

LJUBLJANA - OTP, the Hungarian banking group which acquired SBK Banka from the French group Societe Generale last year, plans to grow in the Slovenian market organically and through potential takeovers. OTP CEO Sandor Csanyi told reporters in Ljubljana that the group could attain a market share of between 25% and 30% in Slovenia. The market leader, NLB has a 23% market share, while SKB was at 8% in 2018. Csanyi said OTP had no plans on how many banks it would want to buy in Slovenia.

Biggest health corruption case goes to trial

LJUBLJANA - The biggest health corruption case in Slovenia's history came to trial, with four defendants out of six who appeared today pleading not guilty. One did not enter a plea, and one was allowed to leave the session early due to health reasons, and will enter his plea at the next session, which is expected to take place next Monday. A total of eleven defendants, who denied taking bribes last year, are standing trial alongside company Advanta. They are being believed to have caused some 1.18 million euros in loss to public funds, with the indictment accusing them of receiving kickbacks for ordering medical supplies at a certain supplier. A cut of 5% to 20% intended for the bribes had been allegedly factored in the prices of supplies.

FURS collected almost EUR 18bn tax in 2019

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's Financial Administration (FURS) collected EUR 17.6 billion in taxes and social contributions in 2019, 5.7% more than in 2018. The rising trend has been present ever since FURS was incorporated through the merger of the tax and customs administrations in 2014. Since then its tax take rose by 29%. FURS pointed out that the 2019 increase in tax revenue outstripped Slovenia's GDP growth, which in the first three quarters of last year reached 2.7%.

NSi protesting over state secretary's Christmas greeting

LJUBLJANA - Education Ministry State Secretary Jernej Štromajer's tweet "Merry Christmas Ya Filthy Animal" on Christmas Eve made some of the public, particularly Christians, go up in arms. Matej Tonin, the leader of New Slovenia - Christian Democrats (NSi), today addressed a protest letter to PM Marjan Šarec, saying that Štromajer's post was a provocative move which did not help promote tolerance, respect and inclusivity. While Tonin wonders why Štromajer is still enjoying Šarec's trust, numerous people have demanded his resignation on social networks as well.

Biggest irrigation system to get much needed overhaul

VIPAVA - Slovenia's biggest irrigation system is about to undergo a much needed renovation having functioned at reduced capacity due to a dam leak for 12 years. Located in the Vipava Valley, a key produce growing area, the Vogršček reservoir will be overhauled by the ministries of infrastructure and agriculture at the cost of EUR 10.5 million. The construction contracts were signed on Tuesday and work will start as soon as a construction permit is issued, expectedly in a month.

Female Engineer of the Year title awarded to war refugee

LJUBLJANA - The Female Engineer of the Year title for 2019 went to Aida Kamišalić Latifić, a researcher and professor at the Maribor Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics, as the award ceremony was held in the Cankarjev Dom arts centre. The judging panel views the life story of the winner, who came to Slovenia as a Bosnian war refugee in 1992, "an inspiration for the young, encouraging them to follow their engineering dreams - even if the circumstances in which they dream are challenging". Her research has been recently focused on blockchain technology, and she is also an inventor and advocate for female-friendly working spaces.

Attempt launched to rehabilitate WWII collaborationist general

LJUBLJANA - The Supreme Court has annulled the death sentence of Slovenian general Leon Rupnik (1880-1946), who collaborated with the occupying forces during WWII, and sent the case to the Ljubljana District Court for retrial, the newspapers Dnevnik and Večer reported. Rupnik was court-martialed and sentenced to death for treason in 1946. One of his descendants, allegedly a grandson, had filed an appeal on a point of law, which has been granted by the Supreme Court. The court says that the verdict was not in compliance with the legal principles at the time, and that not all accusations of the acts he had been sentenced for had been supported with facts and circumstances.

Former president takes the helm of Club of Madrid

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's former President Danilo Türk took the helm of the Club of Madrid this month, an international NGO including democratically elected former presidents and prime ministers. Türk will preside over the world's largest forum of former heads of state and government until the end of 2022. He was elected the head of the organisation unanimously at the forum's general assembly in Madrid in October 2019, said Türk's office.

Lojze Spacal on show in Ljubljana

LJUBLJANA - A retrospective exhibition marking 20 years since the death of Lojze Spacal (1907-2000), one of the most acclaimed Slovenian High Modern artists, has been on show at the Ljubljana gallery Bežigrajska Galerija 2. A total of 38 art pieces are being displayed until 8 February, including paintings, statues and prints, from private and public collections. Spacal lived at the crossroads of two cultures, the Roman and Slavic, and two regions, the Mediterranean and the continental.

Visiting Ljubljana? Check out what's on this week, while all our stories on Slovenia, from newest to oldest, are here

If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here

While tourism is booming in Slovenia, to the point where over-tourism is now an issue at the most visited locations, figures from August 2019, at the heart of the high season, show that the average visitor spends just 2.5 nights in the country.

There’s thus much room for growth, and for encouraging people to go out and see more than Bled, Postojna and Ljubljana Castle. Not only see more, but do more, be it through food tourism, cycling, hiking or any of the hundreds of other activities the varied climate and topography of the country enable, along with the infrastructure that exists to support them.

One such activity is fly-fishing, a meditative sport that requires the participant to go out in nature and watch and wait, gaining a deeper understanding of their immediate environment, and – in Slovenia – an appreciation for the clean waters that run over the riverbeds and play a vital role in various ecosystems.

Eager to learn more about this sport without getting wet, we got in touch with Matej Godec, of Flyfishingodec, a boutique tourist agency specialized in organizing fishing and other excursions around Slovenia, and he was kind enough to answer some questions.

How long have you been fly-fishing?

I’ve been fly-fishing since 2005. When I started I found it offered me a new dimension on life, and a new way of seeing myself. With fly-fishing, I realized that it pays to be persistent and committed to the things you love.

Of course, back then I never imagined that this commitment would mean I’d eventually have my own travel agency that could offer guest first-class guided fly-fishing tours and an excellent fly-fishing school, one that can organize complete fly-fishing holidays and other excursions around Slovenia.

When did you start running fly-fishing tours?

At the beginning of 2019 I decided to offer my guests a full service through my own boutique fly-fishing tourist agency. Flyfishingodec Slovenia is now fly-fishing tourist agency specialized in the organization of guided fly-fishing adventures, accommodation, daily fly-fishing trips and fly-fishing courses.  

What different parts of Slovenia do the tours go to, and how are they different?

My organized fly-fishing tours or daily guided trips and fly-fishing school take place on all Slovenian rivers.

In my organized tours, I want to offer my guests only the best that the country has to offer for such holidays: excellent fishing, beautiful nature, outstanding cuisine and friendly people.

With the Best of Slovenia Fly-fishing Tour package my guests have the opportunity to enjoy fly-fishing on the top 7 rivers in Slovenia. The package offers the best that a guest can wish for when deciding on a fly-fishing holiday in Slovenia.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Flyfishingodec Slovenia (@flyfishingodec_slovenia) on Dec 29, 2019 at 9:43am PST

All the best fly-fishing areas in the country are included in the package: the Soča River with its tributaries Lepena and Kal-Koritnica, the Sava Bohinjka River, the Unica, the Krka, the Idrijca River and the Savinja.

It’s the River Soča that’s the most in demand among my guests, though, and the number one destination.

The Soča fly-fishing tour package is intended for anyone who wants to spend their fishing holidays in the Soča River Valley, enjoy the crystal clear alpine beauty of the air and water, and the high-quality fly-fishing.

I’d also like to highlight the Wild & Pure Package, which is designed for anglers in better physical condition who aren’t looking for the easiest places to fish. The Wild & Pure package covers fly-fishing in deep gorges and canyons of alpine rivers, which are sometimes very difficult to access and require well-prepared anglers. But in the end, the effort is always worth it, with beautiful catches of wild marble trout and brown trout, as well as incredible views and the peace and quiet that come with such locations.

What fish can people catch?

The fish that people go for the most during the regular season is still marble trout. The second most desirable fish is grayling, and then brown trout.

A marble trout

Fly-fishing in Slovenia for experienced and novice anglers

Do you do custom tours, if people want more than fishing?

As a travel agency, we specialize in organizing fishing holidays. However, in addition to fly-fishing, guests sometimes want to experience more than just spending a day by the water. That’s why we also offer a combination of guided fly-fishing tours with sightseeing and visits to major attractions near at fishing location.

For example, guests can fly-fish in the morning on the Sava Bohinjka, and in the afternoon spend the day at Lake Bohinj or Lake Bled, where they can bathe and enjoy their free time with some sightseeing, hiking, or whatever they want. Anyone interested just needs to send me a message and let me know their wishes.

We also offer daily guided tours, which are intended for all travellers and others who want to spend at least one day of their vacation fly-fishing, experiencing nature that way. For those trips there’s free rental of fly-fishing equipment – a fly rod and boots/waders – so people don’t need to bring anything special with them.

A Danube Salmon

It’s now winter, can you fly fish at this time of year?

The winter is very special time in our regular fly-fishing off-season. The winter is reserved for the King of Fish in Slovenia – Danube Salmon aka Huchen (Latin name Hucho hucho).

In recent years it’s become very popular to go fishing for Danube Salmon with a fly-fishing rod. Of course, you need to know some of the peculiarities involved in fishing for this remarkable species, but this is something we can teach you.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Flyfishingodec Slovenia (@flyfishingodec_slovenia) on Nov 22, 2019 at 1:11am PST

Anything else you want to say?

As I said at the start, fly-fishing is one of the most beautiful things that has happened to me in my life, and someone who fishes in a river is really spending quality time in nature, at the kind of slow pace that’s hard to find today.

As such, fly-fishing is a great form of anti-stress therapy, one that’s open to anyone who wants to go outside and try something new. Also, I think that if you haven’t been to Slovenia before then you can’t postpone your visit any longer. Fly-fishing is great, we have beautiful rivers and the landscape is just amazing. And we, the people of Slovenia are very welcoming and kind. So come and visit us soon, before the rest of the world discovers us. You won’t be sorry!

You learn more about Matej’s work, and book a tour, at his website, and see more pictures on Instagram. If your planning a fishing trip and not everyone in your party is an angler, then check out some of the other ways you can enjoy the River Soča and its surroundings - the ideal location for an active vacation.

STA, 8 January 2020 - The attack by Iran on the military airbase in Erbil, Iraq, was one of the worst incidents involving Slovenian troops deployed abroad. They often face dangerous conditions but have luckily managed to avoid major injury. Below is a timeline of major security incidents involving Slovenian troops.

July 2005 - A hummer carrying four Slovenians participating in the ISAF mission in Afghanistan hit on an explosive device. While the vehicle was heavily damaged, the troops did not sustain serious injury, only some minor hearing problems experienced by one of them.

November 2009 - A Slovenian soldier committed suicide while serving in the KFOR mission in Kosovo. She is the only Slovenian soldier to die during deployment.

30 May 2011 - A civilian member of the Slovenian contingent in Afghanistan suffered a minor injury in a bomb attack that demolished a large part of Herat headquarters of the provincial reconstruction team. She sustained a superficial injury and was spared worse because she was inside an office, behind closed doors, when the bomb went off.

November 2013 - Six Slovenians deployed to Afghanistan came under fire by the Taliban while out on patrol with an Afghan unit they had been training. None of the Slovenians were injured.

22 January 2014 - A Slovenian soldier was shot in the leg in hostile fire while training an Afghan unit.

21 November 2014 - A soldier serving in Kosovo suffered a head injury caused by a smoke flare during crowd control training. He was taken to Slovenia for treatment.

April 2015 - Slovenian soldiers participating in the peacekeeping UNIFIL mission in Lebanon were ambushed by an unknown Arab militia, allegedly armed. The militants stole a computer allegedly carrying sensitive military data from their armoured vehicle.

February 2017 - Slovenian UNIFIL troops were ambushed, their convoy of light armoured personnel vehicles stopped in a roadblock and damaged by blunt objects.

4 August 2018 - A Slovenian UNIFIL patrol was attacked twice in the same day. First they were surrounded by an armed group that damaged their vehicle. They got away only to be attacked by a larger armed group that doused the vehicle in petrol and set it on fire. The troops fired two warning shots and returned to base unharmed.

8 January 2020 - Erbil airbase, were six Slovenians were deployed as part of the Inherent Resolve mission to Iraq, came under attack by Iran. Nobody was injured as the troops escaped to the bunkers following a detonation near the base. Slovenia decided to evacuate the six troops from Iraq.

8 January, 2020 - Slovenia’s declaration of independence on 25 June 1991 came just a few months before the fall of the Berlin Wall in November, and the ensuing collapse of the post-World War 2 order in Europe. While there were many differences between East and West, and many reasons for the break-up of Yugoslavia and end of the Soviet Union, economics undoubtedly played a key role, and living standards a much-watched indicator of the success, or failure, of the transition to a market economy. Although, once again, note that Slovenia (as part of Yugoslavia) was not a member of the USSR, and operated a different, more open and non-aligned form of socialism than that seen behind the Iron Curtain.

Still, how have the various economies of post-communist Eastern and Central Europe fared in the three decades since opening to the world? One way to look at this is with the following video, which shows the GDP per capita from 1992 to 2017 for the top 10 nations included in the data. The GDP is presented in US dollars and Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) terms, a measure that considers the crude income compared to the prices of goods in the different countries. As such, it’s seen as a good measure of relative affluence, and for comparing the economic productivity and standards of living between different nations

It’s best and most fun to just watch the video, and see how nations rise and fall over time, but in summary: Slovenia starts at #2, slightly behind the Czech Republic (aka Czechia) in 1992. These two then stay at the top, very close together, until 1998, when Slovenia takes pole position. After this, Slovenia pulls ahead, soon maintaining a lead of some US$2,000 until 2007, when Czechia closes the gap, then takes over the top spot in 2009. Slovenian then regains #1 for 2010 and 2011, but after that Czechia is in the lead.

Another way to look at this data is to zoom out and put Slovenia among the all the other EU Member States, with the country having joined the organisation in 2004. It’s on watching this you may have some questions about Luxembourg, with a population just under a third that of Slovenia.

Note that the first the video was produced by Lionwork Statistics, and was released with the following notes:

1. There was no data available for Slovenia, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia until 1995. In these cases, the average growth rate of the nearest region was used to calculate the estimated value. In the case of Estonia, data are shown from 1993, since no similar region is present due to geographical placement.
2. The comparison includes Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina Slovenia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. Some never made it to the Top 10 during the time period.

STA, 7 January 2020 - The Ljubljana District Court has fully upheld the Competition Protection Agency's decision to temporarily seize Mercator shares from the retailer's owner, Croatian group Agrokor, rejecting the latter's appeal.

The anti-trust watchdog announced the court's decision upon receiving it on Tuesday, while Agrokor's successor Fortenova announced it would use all legal means available to have the seizure annulled.

The agency seized 70% of Mercator shares from Agrokor on 16 December to ensure the insolvent Croatian group pay a EUR 53.9 million fine for failing to notify it of the 2016 takeover of Slovenian-based bottled water company Costella.

Agrokor appealed against the fine as well as against the seizure. The court is yet to rule on the appeal against the fine, which is expected to take more time.

The temporary seizure of Mercator shares suspended the planned transfer of the Slovenian retail group from Agrokor to its successor Fortenova.

Fortenova officials denounced the seizure in December as an attempt by Slovenia to secure better terms for Slovenian suppliers of Mercator, a claim that Slovenia denied.

Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek commented on the court's decision by saying that Slovenia was a country ruled by law and that Slovenian legislation had to be respected.

Meanwhile, Fortenova termed the court's explanation unconvincing and legally weak, insisting the agency's decision was arbitrary, unlawful and unconstitutional.

Fortenova noted that Agrokor had notified heads of European and national regulators of the Slovenian agency's contentious conduct in the procedure and of the suspicion that "Slovenian legal and other bodies are preventing transfer of Mercator shares to Fortenova for national political reasons in contravention of Slovenian legislation and EU practice".

Agrokor also notified of the "obstacles it has been meeting with as an investor in Slovenia for the past year" the ratings firms Fitch, Moody's, Standard & Poor's, the World Bank offices in Washington and Brussels and Transparency International in Brussels and Berlin.

STA, 7 January 2020 - Slovenia successfully completed a EUR 1.5 billion ten-year eurobond issue, leveraging market appetite for fixed assets to secure a record-low coupon interest rate of 0.275%. The last bond issue a year ago came with a coupon rate of 1.188%.

The issue was significantly over-subscribed, with orders for EUR 11 billion collected, the Finance Ministry said Tuesday evening.

Invest in Slovenia: Meet the Companies in the Benchmark Investment Index, the SBI TOP

The high demand "confirms investor trust in Slovenia's credit rating and the firmness of the Slovenian economy and fiscal policy," the ministry said.

The bond issue makes Slovenia the first eurozone country to tap the bond market this year and the issue size covers almost the entire planned borrowing of EUR 1.58 billion for 2020.

It comes at a time when investors are looking for safe investments amidst continued global uncertainty, which has been driving down bond yields across the eurozone.

The yield on Slovenia's 10-year benchmarks was just above zero yesterday, according to data on the MTS Bonds.com platform.

The bulk of the latest issue was purchased by fund managers (52%), followed by pension funds and insurers (18%), and banks (14%).

STA, 7 January 2020 - Following some three months of police search, runaway tax debtor Zlatan Kudić was apprehended on New Year's Eve, reportedly in central Ljubljana. One of the biggest tax debtors in the country, Kudić will await the end of his tax fraud trial in detention.

National broadcaster TV Slovenija reported on Tuesday that the Ljubljana District Court, where the trial began in 2013, did not want to reveal when the proceedings will resume since the defence had requested the panel of judges to be excluded, with the court president still deliberating on the issue.

Kudić vanished when the trial was drawing to an end. The former director of the Ljubljana company Maxicon, which went bust in 2012, is standing trial for tax evasion, money laundering and destruction of evidence.

The Financial Administration (FURS) should not hold out much hope of recovering EUR 25 million worth of debt owed by Kudić, said TV Slovenija, since Maxicon was erased from the list of tax debtors upon going into receivership.

FURS could claim the debt via a pecuniary claim in a criminal procedure, but it is questionable whether Kudić formally has any assets left at all.

It is not yet clear where the defendant was hiding from the arrest warrant. His attorney told the public broadcaster that Kudić did spend some time in Slovenia, at least in December.

All our stories about taxes in Slovenia are here