The Slovenia Times

NLB Chief Supervisor Arhar Resigns

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He announced his decision at a session of the parliamentary Interior Affairs Committee dedicated to employment practices at the bank, in particular the recent hiring of Rok Praprotnik, a former deputy president of the anti-corruption watchdog.

"MP [Sonja] Ramšak asked me earlier whether anyone had resigned over misconduct at [NLB] No - until now. I, the chairman of the supervisory board, hereby resign since I do not support the criticism against corporate governance," he said.

Arhar said he was angered that "any taxpayer can debate any state asset", noting that corporate governance rules were still not being honoured. "One of the EU's demands is that politics withdraws from bank management," he reminded the MPs.

According to him, criticism regarding the banking crisis is being levelled indiscriminately against anyone. "Although I have no connection with the bank capital shortfall, maybe I'll set an example - for those who are actually responsible," he told the STA after the committee session.

He said it was necessary to shift the debate to substance - why the economy is weak and why other countries have overtaken Slovenia. "There is no solution without the troika or the IMF. Maybe I'm saying too much, but this is the conclusion looking at the figures," he said.

Turning to the hiring of Rok Praprotnik, which will be in the focus of debates at an extraordinary session of parliament next week, Arhar said the procedures were transparent and in line with internal rules.

However, he suggested it might not have been entirely ethical of Praprotnik to accept the job invitation, noting that he himself had been given job offers while he still headed the central bank and rejected them although it was not explicitly prohibited.

NLB's management board commented on Arhar's resignation by saying that "political interference in the bank's business is inadmissible" and ran contrary to the commitments Slovenia made when it was granted EU approval to bail out the bank.

The 65-year-old joined the NLB supervisory board in June 2013 after a ten-year stint as chairman of Unicredit banka Slovenija.

Before that he had headed the central bank for two terms between 1991 and 2001 and served as chairman of mutual health insurer Vzajemna in the interim period.
 

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