Well, we finally got it! The data from RTV Slovenija that is, which confirms the statements made by sources, who claimed that Igor Kadunc, Director-General of the public television RTV Slovenija, disproportionally distributed budget funds to select few journalists. Like cookies, or bonuses.
With this, it is important to note that at the peak of the first wave of the coronavirus, Erika Žnidaršič and Nataša Markovič unilaterally portrayed the government’s procurement of protective equipment, and created shows, in which we did not get the chance to hear the side of those who would have explained what the procurement was actually like.
RTV added the following to the data which was sent: “The allowances arise from the scope and nature of the work and are paid in accordance with the legal provisions. As can be seen from the data in the table, Erika Žnidaršič received allowances for working overtime (January), for work during the state of emergency under the Collective agreement for the public sector (March and April), and an allowance under Article 71 of the Act Determining the Intervention Measures to Contain the COVID-19 Epidemic and Mitigate its Consequences for Citizens and the Economy (April), as well as a night work allowance in April, and a supplement for working on a public holiday, also in April. Nataša Markovič received an allowance for working during the state of emergency under the Collective agreement for the public sector (March and April), and an allowance under Article 71 of the Act Determining the Intervention Measures to Contain the COVID-19 Epidemic and Mitigate its Consequences for Citizens and the Economy (April), a night work allowance, a supplement for working on a public holiday, and an allowance for working on a Sunday (all in April). In March and April, Dejan Ladika received an allowance for work during the state of emergency under the Collective agreement for the public sector and an allowance under Article 71 of the Act Determining the Intervention Measures to Contain the COVID-19 Epidemic and Mitigate its Consequences for Citizens and the Economy (April), and in March, he also received an allowance for working in unevenly distributed hours.”
Since January, Erika Žnidaršič has thus received an additional 5157.33 euros, Nataša Markovič 3537,16 euros, and Dejan Ladika an additional 4225.84 euros, for the work described above.
With his work and leadership, Igor Kadunc has led the broadcasting service deep into the red. And just to remind you, here is how the Minister of Defence, Matej Tonin, responded to the biased reporting on the show Tarča (Target).
“In the end, the truth always comes out… In the last fourteen days, both me and my mother have been the victims of many orchestrated, malicious, and completely unfounded attacks, regarding the procurement of the masks and protective equipment. On last night’s show Tarča, Mr. Ivan Gale made it clear that I never called or asked for the company Acron to get any kind of a deal in the procurement of the masks! After the last few torturous weeks, last night was much calmer and more peaceful for me and my family… But our fight is not over yet. On the show Tarča, I made it clear that it is not right to literally criminalize all providers and employed civil servants, who were practically burning out during those critical times, in order to provide the protective equipment for Slovenia. That is not fair, and these people need to be protected! And on the other hand, I demand a transparent and independent investigation of all deals made in the procurement of protective equipment. Potential “war profiteers,” no matter what their last name is, and which party they belong to, need to face the consequences – it is unacceptable for anyone to abuse the epidemic and the crisis situation for personal gain. So, I am saying this again: NSi will contribute the signatures for the creation of the parliamentary commission. The deals need to be thoroughly investigated! Thank you for all of your support over the past weeks. I wish you a beautiful and peaceful holiday!”
Matej Tonin, May 1st, 2020
Andrej Žitnik