Opening speech of the Minister for internal affaires dr. Gregor Virant at the final conference of the European Anti-corruptrion Training (EACT), 15 Octobre 2013, Brdo pri Kranju (check against delivery)
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Dear participants, welcome at the final conference of European Anticorruption Training
The fight against corruption is of great importance during the economic and financial crisis, for two reasons. Firstly, citizens are aware that corruption is one of the reasons for the crisis. Secondly, citizens find it hard to accept sacrifices and diminishing of rights imposed by governments to consolidate public finances, if state institutions do not ensure just sanctioning of acts of corruption. During a crisis, societal demand for justice is more pronounced than in ordinary circumstances.
In transition countries corruption is a bigger problem than in traditional democracies. The level of social tolerance of this phenomenon had been too high for too long. Now things are changing. Citizens see corruption as deviant behaviour and as a social disease that needs to be eradicated.
Corruption offences have specific characteristics that make investigation difficult and require special skills. All involved benefit, none of them are adversely affected and therefore it is in nobody's interest to report such an offence.
With the Criminal Procedure Act the State has vested the police with powers as a tool for effective detection and investigation of criminal offences. The police must carry out measures in accordance with the Prosecutor's Office directives already while corruption offences are being prepared and negotiated, since after the commission it is usually too late to secure solid evidence. Therefore it is very important to systematically identify corruption suspicions, which the Police with their efforts have to upgrade to the level of reasonable suspicion or probable cause, which then provides the basis for covert investigative measures to be used. These are in most cases the only effective method for proving a corruption offence and arresting the suspect.
The EACT project is being implemented at the right time and in the right place. Now is the time to close ranks and step on the toes of corruption, which has grown to alarming proportions at all levels, significantly shaking the citizens' trust. And without trust, a society lacks a sound foundation that enables it to function.
Slovenia is paying special attention to the fight against corruption. The Slovenian police, which includes the National Bureau of Investigation, is putting the investigation of corruption, together with economic crime, at the top of its agenda. The results have been good and several notorious cases of economic crime and corruption have already been terminated with a criminal conviction. The endeavours of the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption, operating in various fields, are of exceptional importance as well. It analyses systemic reasons for corruption and proposes preventive solutions for their elimination, supervises compliance with regulations on public official's integrity and also has certain powers to investigate specific acts. In this segment, the commission's work is of great assistance to the criminal police. The two institutions have developed excellent cooperation that is yielding results and will continue to yield results in the future.
I am pleased to see the project has connected the anti-corruption organisations from both the EU and Western Balkan states, and I am glad that Slovenia has taken over the role of coordinating corruption prevention efforts. Prevention, as I have already pointed out, is pivotal to tackling corrupt practices, which are extremely difficult to detect.
This is why fostering a broad dialogue between fellow agencies across the broader region is so important. It affords an opportunity for us to share the best of our knowledge, experience and positive results of learning from each other – and this is exactly what the EACT project has enabled.
I truly believe that the fight against corruption is not tilting at windmills, and that it is a worthy cause. The more cases are closed and corrupted individuals exposed, the more potential offenders will be discouraged from corrupt behaviour. This is the only way to restore the already shaken public confidence in the rule of law.
Ladies and gentlemen – this is a cause worth fighting for.
Thank you.