Parliamentary inquiry into Covid response adopts interim report
Ljubljana - The opposition-founded parliamentary inquiry looking into the government's response to the Covid-19 epidemic has adopted an interim report which lists several infringements.
Addressing reporters on Thursday, the inquiry's head Robert Pavšič of the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) said the report would be referred to investigative bodies to report to them several suspected criminal acts.
The report runs to around one hundred pages. Pavšič said the main findings are those "the folks have been following and know well since the start of the epidemic".
"This government is demonstrably responsible for all the misguided measures, for the excess deaths, for the financially inadequate measures and for the direct interference in science," he said.
The inquiry holds the government responsible as a collective body and in particular PM Janez Janša, whom Pavšič accused of arbitrarily changing and adapting the system and rules established to deal with the epidemic to pursue other agendas.
As those Pavšič listed the purchase of rapid antigen tests and the failure to buy vaccines at the time when those were needed the most.
He also accused the government of failing to follow the advice of experts, even those it had appointed itself.
He hopes the report will be debated at the next plenary session where the inquiry will propose eight conclusions to prevent "such conduct with such disastrous consequences from ever repeating again".
Apart from pinpointing mistakes in the management of the epidemic, they will also propose protecting whistleblowers and empowering the media to provide realistic, credible and independent coverage of relevant developments in politics and business.
One of the resolutions proposed is for parliament to urge the government's immediate resignation. Even if adopted, which is unlikely, such a call would not cut short the government's term as the election is due on 24 April.
"But at least some symbolic gesture can come from the other side, and with it an acknowledgement that not everything has been as rosy as we have been told in the last few months," said Pavšič, referring to the coalition.
The inquiry will resume its work to hear several more witnesses but Pavšič said they would not be able to finish the work until the end of the term. He is hopeful the next parliament will pick up where they left off.