The headline "Karl Erjavec claims to have shown the contract to Janša before he signed it" in today’s Delo does not correspond to the facts. Delo’s editorial board has attached a misleading headline to its article on the interview which the Defence Minister gave to the newspaper. The Ministry of Defence responded by pointing out that this headline distorted the minister's statements given in the interview and did not report the true state of affairs.

 

(Photo: Kristina Kosec/Bobo)

 

When talking to Delo’s journalist, Minister Erjavec made it perfectly clear that he had informed Prime Minister Janez Janša of the intended signature of the contract after the negotiation had been concluded and before the contract had been signed. "This means that Minister Erjavec informed the Prime Minister of the fact that the public procurement procedure for the purchase of 8x8 AMVs for the Slovenian Armed Forces had been concluded, and that he (Mr Erjavec) would sign a contract with the selected bidder," the Ministry of Defence explained in response to Delo’s article.

 

Minister Erjavec was clear and explicit in the interview when he said: "Let me stress: Janez Janša has nothing to do with this contract. He has never asked any questions; he has never offered any advice." He went on to add that when he informed the Prime Minister of the concluded procedure, the Prime Minister said that this was the Defence Minister's responsibility and that he enjoyed the Prime Minister’s trust. Therefore, Prime Minister Janez Janša was not familiar with the contract and has not seen it, contrary to the misleading claims in today’s Delo.

 

The Ministry of Defence further stated that the contract concluded between the Ministry of Defence and the selected bidder was appropriately deposited for safekeeping by the Ministry of Defence on account of its "restricted" classification before and after signing. Neither Mr Erjavec nor anyone else from the Ministry of Defence has ever shown or explained this contract to unauthorised persons.