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Petrovič said he resigned after a consultation with Prime Minister Miro Cerar, but he was quick to point out that this was not an admission ha had done anything wrong.

Instead, he decided to resign "so that I can prove in peace that I did not commit the acts that are being alleged by the media".

Cerar accepted the resignation "with regret", convinced that "Minister Petrovič will prove the alleged unlawful conduct did not occur," according to a statement issued by Cerar's office.

The move comes a day after TV Slovenija reported about a decision by the Competition Protection Agency showing a company where he used to be the director, DZS, was found guilty of collusion.

The competition watchdog found that DZS, Mladinska knjiga trgovina and Extra Lux had colluded to fix the prices of office supplies that they sold to the public administration between 2007 and 2012.

TV Slovenija claimed Petrovič signed one of the contracts that revealed collusion, but Petrovič denies having signed the document in question.

Petrovič said he has never been notified of any proceedings so he assumes the decision does not target him. He claims all contracts he ever signed were cleared by the company's legal department.

The resignation means Prime Minister Miro Cerar will shortly have to look for two new cabinet members, provided that Development Minister Violeta Bulc is endorsed as European Commissioner.

It also raises questions about vetting, as Cerar's first nominee for economy minister, Ervin Pfeifer, was let go shortly before parliamentary hearings over his problematic role at NLB bank at the time when bad loans skyrocketed.