Maribor - The supervisory board of Pošta Slovenija has dismissed Tomaž Kokot from the post of director general of the state-owned national postal company, Delo newspaper reported on Monday. Kokot told Delo he had been dismissed, while Pošta Slovenije has not yet confirmed the news for the STA saying the supervisors are still in session.

Kokot was dismissed for failing to adequately respond to the recent arrival of the Austrian postal company on the Slovenian market, according to Delo.

The newspaper added, citing an unofficial source, that Kokot had to already leave the company's premises.

Kokot has been seen as an individual affiliated with the Democratic Party (SDS), and was appointed to lead Pošta Slovenije under the previous, SDS-led government.

He first stepped in as interim director general in late March 2021, when the previous director resigned, and was appointed for a full term last February.

His appointment was marred by allegations of political staffing and pressure on supervisors to appoint him while he was said not to have the necessary experience to run such a large company.

Three supervisors resigned in connection to his appointment, and another reported "unacceptable political pressure".

Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH), a custodian of state assets, commissioned in April an independent legal review of the appointment procedure.

Media reports said the review determined certain irregularities, while SSH did not release details. However, the shareholders replaced three out of the five supervisors representing the owners at the end of June, citing loss of trust.

Since mid-July, the postal company's supervisory board has been led by Urška Kežmah.