Branko Grims holds a master’s degree in political science and a bachelor’s degree in sociology. He has been a member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia for the SDS (Democratic Party of Slovenia) since 2004, and he has served in various positions in Janez Jansa’s governments. During the previous legislature (2020-2022), he was chairman of the intelligence and security services oversight committee, and he was a member of the justice, foreign policy, and constitutional committees. Since June 2024, he has been an MEP for the SDS, which is part of the European People’s Party (EPP).
There is an ongoing campaign in Slovenia to discredit former Prime Minister Janez Janša. Who is behind this campaign?
In the Republic of Slovenia, there was no lustration after the fall of the totalitarian regime—not even in the judiciary, where it was most urgent due to the permanent mandates of judges. This is the reason for the existence of a deep state in Slovenia, and it is the reason why Slovenia is developing much slower than (for example) the Republic of Poland or the entire Visegrad Group. It is also why, for thirty years (since the victory in the war for Slovenia), the deep state has been using the Slovenian judiciary for a political settling of accounts with the winners of the war of independence—that is, with the current opposition. The key objective of these abuses has been to obstruct and prevent the political activity of the largest opposition party, the SDS, which won as many as 4 out of a total of 9 seats belonging to the Republic of Slovenia in the last elections to the European Parliament. They especially target the president of the SDS, who was the minister of defence during the war for Slovenia, and thrice prime minister, Mr. Janez Janša.
Obvious abuses of justice—to which we would like to draw the attention of the European Commission, other international institutions, and the public—have continued throughout the Republic of Slovenia’s membership in the European Union. Again and again, these obviously politically-motivated trials against the SDS and Janez Janša are initiated just before each election. After the election, the process is stalled, and then revived as the next election approaches. Since this has been dragging on for three decades, the political motivation behind these abuses is quite obvious.
The best-known case was the one called ‘Patria,’ a few years ago.
Yes, the last 15 years in Slovenia have been marked by the Patria process. That was a Kafkaesque trial, in which Janez Janša was tried for allegedly accepting a completely “unknown promise” made “in an unknown way,” at an “unknown where” on an “unknown when.” On 20 June 2014 (i.e. just before the national parliamentary elections), on the basis of that absurd process, he was convicted and imprisoned. The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Slovenia, which is the highest authority in the field of human rights protection according to the Constitution, completely annulled the ruling about a year later, explaining that the entire process was a violation of human rights. But the election was already over by then. Despite warnings that these abuses are contrary to the legal practice of the European Court of Human Rights, Janez Janša was still deprived of the parliamentary mandate granted to him by voters in the elections to the National Assembly. Later, this violation of human rights was also annulled by the Constitutional Court, and Janez Janša’s mandate was reinstated.
The new process is called ‘Trenta.’ Is it similar to the previous process?
The next elections in Slovenia are approaching and the abuse of justice is apparently being repeated. The “Trenta process” is even more obviously political than “Patria” was, and it is an absolute disgrace to the Slovenian judiciary. This is unequivocally demonstrated by the fact that this is a case that is almost 20 years old. This year, after almost 20 years, the first meeting of the court was “accidentally” convened on the birthday of Janez Janša’s wife, Mrs. Urška Bačovnik Janša; and the second interrogation (again “coincidentally”) was held on the very birthday of Janez Janša, 17 September!
It does not seem coincidental. What is the basis of the latest accusation?
The accusation is embarrassing for the constitutionally established legal order. About 30 years ago, Janez Janša bought an estate in Trenta, on which a house stood. Everything is located in the Triglav National Park, where new construction is not allowed, and only alternative construction is permitted. He sold the property in 2005 for a significantly higher price. At that time, due to rising property prices, many individuals and companies bought real estate as capital investments “in stock,” with the intention of selling them at a significantly higher price later. The prosecutors believe they have found evidence of a crime in this transaction, even though another private buyer who bought the property at auction later sold it for considerably more money. In other words, the property market itself has exposed the falsity of this accusation.
The prosecution, and therefore the political process, is also based on a false construction, as shown by the fact that the court itself appointed a real estate expert who made it clear that there was nothing wrong with the sale. Consequently, he lost his licence. From a legal point of view, according to European and Slovenian law, this is a clear abuse of justice.
The next elections are not due until April 2026. Do you think there will be early elections?
Of course, because a few months ago the processes to discredit the opposition through the abuse of the judiciary were reactivated, and this is obviously due to the possibility of early elections in the country. These have become a real possibility, because by now it must have become clear to everyone in Slovenia (and probably also to the leaders in the European Union) that every day under the current ultra-leftist government of Robert Golob is an economic and developmental disaster for Slovenia. There is an additional problem for the European Union, which is facing the catastrophic consequences of a completely misguided and false ‘green transition’ (only as green as the colour of money), and with its crazy taxes and bureaucratic restrictions, which are destroying entrepreneurship, development, and prosperity. In my book Victory of the Good, published this year, I offered a calculation based on official Eurostat data: The EU’s GDP grew by only €116 per capita in the period 2008-2022; and U.S. GDP increased by €27,829 per capita in the same period; so by as much as 240 times more! This, and the announced closure of car factories in Germany and elsewhere in the EU, says it all.
Is the only aim of this trial to tarnish the image of Janša and his party before the elections?
Yes; this will certainly get tougher and then die down, because in two years’ time the matter will be absolutely obsolete. All that will remain is the doubt and media discreditation, which is the obvious purpose of the abuses of justice described. All of these blatant abuses of justice to discredit political opponents are totally unacceptable from the point of view of the European Union.
That is why, as an MEP, in a special letter a month ago, I asked the European Commission how it would act to prevent abuses of justice like the political discrediting of the opposition in Slovenia, and whether it would ensure that all citizens of the Republic of Slovenia, regardless of their political beliefs or any other personal circumstances, receive a fair and impartial trial within a reasonable time—which is a European norm and value enshrined in the basic acts of the European Union.
A few weeks ago, you sent a second letter to the European Commission about another case: this time, a prosecutorial effort to discredit a judge.
This is the case of Judge Zvjezdan Radonjić. With the criminal prosecution of this independent judge—who refused to submit to politically motivated pressure from some of his colleagues, and who publicly warned of the unacceptability of these pressures—the obvious and extreme politicisation of a large part of the Slovenian judiciary was revealed in a completely new dimension.
In 2019, Judge Radonjić ruled in a difficult murder case. In this case, it became apparent that there was political and media interest in sentencing an evidently innocent man to a long prison sentence. When the acquittal was announced, the judge informed the public of the background to the trial, and of the illegal and unacceptable pressure to which he had been subjected. As a result, he was persecuted by the authorities and the media: he was eventually forced to leave the judiciary and he suffered serious health consequences. The prosecution brought several charges against Judge Radonjić and, on 10 October 2024, he was convicted for allegedly insulting the judge and the prosecutor in the trial. On the day of his conviction, the tribunal convened a session, despite the fact that it had a medical report and an expert opinion stating that Radonjić was not and would not be fit to stand trial for at least another month and a half. Nevertheless, he was brought to court in handcuffs for a part of the trial where his presence was not even required by law!
Shouldn’t the trial have been postponed because of his poor health?
Of course, but the court blatantly and grossly violated the constitutional rights to a fair trial and an effective defence. Eventually, the imprisonment and forcible detention of a man who was seriously ill and who did not resist at all was assessed by Chief Justice Jan Zobec as a “brutal violation of the right to personal freedom,” also a constitutional right. All of these rights are also protected by the fundamental legal acts of the European Union. But how can a trial be considered fair if it is clear from the decision of the doctor and the opinion of the expert witness that the accused is not fit to stand trial and is therefore incapable of defending himself effectively?
The obvious purpose of these abuses of the judiciary is to set an example for other judges and thus achieve the complete subordination of the judiciary to the politics that have dominated the Slovenian judiciary for the entire existence of independent Slovenia (but has its roots even earlier). The deep state wants to completely subordinate the judiciary in Slovenia, so that it will once again be its tool for political reckoning, as it was during socialism and communist rule. This means a return to the era of totalitarianism, which is clearly unconstitutional and in absolute contradiction with European fundamental acts in the field of human rights protection. These interventions are totally unacceptable and a flagrant abuse of justice.
These abuses are contrary to European standards, but we see ever more cases of this sort in different countries.
The abuses of the justice system, originating in cultural Marxism for the purposes of political discrediting and the imposition of left-wing ideology under the guise of false ‘law,’ are a growing problem in the European Union. In addition to the above-described cases from Slovenia, the most famous is the trial of former Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, who faces a six-year prison sentence for strictly respecting his own country’s laws on border protection and putting the security of his nation and citizens first. This is utterly absurd, because this is what everyone in Europe should do. In reality, those who have committed a blatant crime, by abusing their office and flooding Europe with illegal migrants, should be tried. To cover it up, they are judging Matteo Salvini, who respected the rule of law as a whole. A theatre of the absurd, in the form of cultural Marxism, is sweeping Europe.
This is reminiscent of what is happening in Poland, where Donald Tusk’s government intends to stifle PiS in order to “defend democracy.”
According to all available information, similar methods and means are now being used in several cases in Poland against functionaries of former Prime Minister Morawiecki’s PiS party. According to that information, this is not a single notorious and long-lasting case (as in Slovenia), but a campaign to discredit a large number of people with the aim of disabling the most powerful political force in the country. It would be good to collect all these developments and all possible abuses together and present them to the public. And on this basis, appropriate measures should be taken effectively to prevent all forms of abuse of justice and to establish real equality before the law, which is a value protected by the Constitution and by the fundamental legal acts of the European Union. This will not be an easy task because, in the last term of office, the European Commission clearly applied double standards on several occasions—which is totally unacceptable, and I reject it entirely.
Let us recall the visit of Věra Jourová to the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Slovenia in March 2023, which was a clear example of illegal interference in the competences of nation states and double standards. It was a blatant abuse of functions and institutions for political interference. There were even more similar cases against members of the Visegrad Group, especially Poland and Hungary, in the last mandate. Those who abuse the functions and institutions of the European Union for the purposes of political imposition and tampering with the legally elected governments of the member states are not defending but rather destroying democracy and leading to totalitarianism; and, in doing so, they are breaking up the European Union.
Has there been any response from Brussels to these abuses of justice in Slovenia?
Despite the fact that, in recent months, we have drawn the attention of the EU institutions to all the processes of political abuse of justice that have taken place, there has so far been no concrete reaction from Brussels. I am also waiting for a response from the European Commission to my letter.
Do you think it is possible to put an end to the policy of double standards pursued by the European Commission in the previous legislature?
Any policy of double standards is unacceptable and represents an abuse of the institutions of the European Union. The policy of double standards, the imposition of left-wing ideology, and the flooding of its institutions with cultural Marxism have made the European Union weak and vulnerable. It is imperative to put an end to this. Those who caused it should be held accountable.
But it turns out that only a strong nation-state is an effective bulwark against these kinds of abuses and against cultural Marxism. It is therefore necessary to resolutely oppose all attempts to centralise and usurp competences by the institutions of the European Union, which do not belong to them according to the fundamental documents. It is absolutely necessary to reject any policy of double standards and any introduction of censorship, even those under the guise of ‘protecting’ the truth, because this has always been the excuse of all totalitarianisms to introduce censorship. The European Union will be as strong as democratic nation states that are integrated into it. The European Union was created as a union of equal democratic countries, and only in this form can it survive in the long term. Double standards, censorship, the imposition of left-wing ideology, and the abuse of institutions to put pressure on democratically elected parliaments and nation-state governments are breaking apart the European Union.
