Slovenia ‘s domestic politics rarely make it to the world headlines. The ‘hidden gem’ of Europe is renowned for its short but sandy riviera, breathtaking natural landscapes, rich cultural heritage and unique attractions. (And for having the shape of a chicken.) But if does make it to the headlines, it’s either because of its most famous export, U.S. First Lady Melania Trump, or because of the repeated corruption scandals engulfing Prime Minister Robert Golob and his cabinet.
Some of those issues seem minor.
In April 2025, for example, Golob got under scrutiny for spending a few weekends with his then-partner, now-wife Tina Gaber in Karigador, Croatia in 2023. At a seaside property belonging to Slovenian-Czech businessman Tomaž Subotič. He’s also a member of Golob’s party and has just been appointed by the government to two hospital councils. (at Ljubljana Psychiatric Clinic and Celje General Hospital)
It appears that PM Golob received the free holiday in exchange for the position, a textbook example of conflict of interest.
That, in itself is at odds with the country’s integrity rules, but an investigation by 24ur pushed it even further. Golob and Subotič, along with lawyer Nina Zidar Klemenčič and recently appointed director of the Celje Hospital Dragan Kovačič, were accused of ‘potential exploitation of the finances of the hospital’. All involved denied any wrongdoing. In the meantime, Subotič has resigned from both boards.
Other accusations are more serious.
Power and the Police
Interference in police staffing decisions is a recurring topic, reaching back to mid-2022, when the Golob administration took office. One of Golob’s campaign promises was the ‘depoliticization of police’, but sources point at ‘receiving gifts for unlawful intermediation’.
In 2024, Slovenian police filed a criminal complaint to the Specialised State Prosecutor’s Office (KPK), claiming that Golob has pushed for staffing changes in the force ‘to rid it of staff loyal to the previous government’.
The prime minister denied the accusations. Claiming that the complaint was just a political fight initiated by resigned interior minister Tatjana Bobnar. But according to Bobnar, PM Golob instructed her and the police chief to ‘cleanse’ the police force of officials appointed by the previous government. According to Bobnar, Golov also refused to extend Boštan Lindav’s term as police chief. Golob also sent two text messages to Bobnar, to ‘express his dissatisfaction regarding the staffing situation in the police force’. The findings of Slovenia’s anti-corruption commission match these accusations.
This was not the first time, though.
In March 2025, prosecutors have already requested a court to ‘investigate Golob over Bobnar’s claims of interference in police recruitment’, but the court has yet to issue a decision.
The list of corruption accusations against Golob doesn’t stop with the police.
Money, Companies, and Conflict of Interest
Another infamous case of conflict of interest linked to Golob is the controversy that centers on him and his ownership of Star Solar. A renewable energy company. It generates an annual revenue of about €250,000. Management of the company varied through the years, but at one point it was led by Golob’s teenage daughter, Luna. Today, the head of the company is Golob’s former secretary of state, Maksimiljana Polak. A friendship that dates back to Golob’s pre-government years, when he was president of the management board of Gen-I. Another state-owned energy company for 15 years.
While public officials are not forbidden to hold equities or own companies, the Integrity and the Prevention of Corruption Act imposes severe limitations on how such companies are allowed to do business with the state.
Yet, Star Solar has been active in state-subsidized electricity production programs since 2012. Between 2014 and 2023, it has received substantial financial support from the state-owned company, Borzen, that operates the national electricity market. Estimates put the amount over €2.14 million.
Suspicions of more subtle forms of corruption are also often raised against the prime minister.
In 2025, the Golob cabinet proposed an annual levy of 1.45 percent on second (third, etc.) homes to raise budget revenue and slow the appreciation of property prices amid a housing shortage. The government hoped to raise more than €600 million annually from the change that would have applied to about 525,000 properties. The value of the property was to be assessed by the Surveying and Mapping Authority of the Republic of Slovenia (GURS).
Beyond widespread criticism from experts, many pointed out that the law was poorly designed, could have easily led to widespread tax avoidance schemes and exempted luxury first homes, like those belonging to members of the cabinet – while ordinary citizens would have faced significant burdens.
Amidst public uproar for the preferential treatment of a narrow elite, the finance ministry eventually announced that it postponed the tax indefinitely. Though the property tax was supposed to be introduced to lessen the burden on the budget, in other times the Golob cabinet acts as though money would grow on trees.
Waste, Resignations, and Public Trust
In 2024, Justice Minister Dominika Švarc Pipan, and through her the whole cabinet, faced controversy over the purchase of a crumbling building in Ljubljana. The building, called Litijska Building after the road it’s located on in east Ljubljana has been standing unused for years – but it has been in the property of businessman Sebastijan Vežnaver since who bought it for €1.7 million in 2019.
The ministry paid €7.7 million – almost four times the previous price – for the building that would need significant investment to house various judicial bodies, as planned.
In another irregular step, the ministry transferred the money just a day after the contract was signed.
Other sources point at the suspiciously short – barely four pages long – contract. It contains no safeguards to protect the state’s interests beyond the obligatory anti-corruption clause and at e-mail correspondence that shows that the ‘decision was made hastily just before the end of 2023’. Implying that ministry officials were ‘under pressure to prepare the documentation and contract for the purchase of the building within an extremely short time frame’. The subsequent scandal and investigation led to the resignation of Justice Minister Švarc Pipan and several government and party officials. Since then, the investigation has reportedly been extended to a wider circle, possibly including the prime minister himself.
Another waste-of-money issue is the infamous laptop purchase scandal, linked to since-resigned Minister for Digital Transformation Emilija Stojmenova Duh. Another rushed shopping trip with tax-payer money.
The ministry bought 13,000 laptops for €6.5 million to promote digital inclusion. Then, the computers sat for months in a warehouse, because the purchase was done before the government set the terms and conditions on how and to whom those should be distributed.
In September 2024, the Court of Audit has found that the government broke the principles of efficiency and economy. Both in the case of the Litijska Building and the laptop project.
In a similar investigation, the Court of Audit also established that the government failed to sufficiently examine the feasibility of the measures included within the country’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRS).
Such scandals and subsequent resignations also put the efficiency of government under scrutiny when the cabinet meetings look more like a carrousel – in just three years, nine ministers resigned or got dismissed for various causes.
And if the above wouldn’t cause headache to Golob, the controversies surrounding his new wife add further things to worry about. 19-years junior to her husband, Tina Gaber Golob is a former model, socialite and social media influencer. With experience in television and lobbying, a euphemism to her real activities.
Because, at least according to various sources, she has been involved in pyramid schemes and crypto scams, like the controversial Slovenian cryptocurrency Xaurum, what Gaber promoted on her Facebook account. Testimonies indicate that she was a ‘companion’ to members of high society abroad. Even before marrying Golob, her luxurious lifestyle raised many questions about her finances, with suspicions pointing at fictious state contracts.
From her new position, she can now influence Slovenian politics.