Ljubljana - The Commission for the Prevention of Corruption (KPK) has not established any violations of integrity legislation in 12 procedures targetting five employees of Slovenia's Commodity Reserves Agency over suspicion of irregularities in the agency's purchases of protective equipment last year. It has thus closed the procedures against them.

The KPK said on Thursday it had closed four procedures against the agency's former acting director Tomi Rumpf, one against former director Anton Zakrajšek, and another seven procedures against another three (former) employees, including Ivan Gale, who went public about the suspected irregularities in early 2020.

None of the five persons have overstepped their powers in concluding contracts on purchasing protective equipment or medical devices with companies Gorenje Gospodinjski Aparati; Public Digital Infrastructure; Hmezad - TMT Transport, Mehanizacija, Trgovina; Tehno Mag; and Cross Continental, Gradbeništvo.

With the exception of another two procedures concerning Zakrajšek, all the procedures against the five persons are completed, the commission said in a press release.

The KPK took the emergency situation when the Covid-19 epidemic broke out in spring 2020 as mitigating circumstances, saying it had called for "rapid and effective action".

The commission therefore does not consider the detected procedural irregularities to be such as to be labelled as "violations of integrity by individual office holders".

It has however established risks that could lead to violations of integrity, and issued recommendations regarding transparency and equal treatment of bidders in public procurement procedures.

The KPK launched 21 procedures regarding public purchases of protective equipment at the end of 2020, of which 12 have been concluded, two have established irregularities, and the remaining seven procedures (against three persons) are expected to be completed in the coming months.