His statement came just hours before the SSH supervisory board was due to decide on whether or not to sell the state's majority stake to UK buyout fund Cinven, which set Wednesday as the final day of validity of its bid.

Cerar said the SSH supervisors should decide in line with the "expert conscience of its decision-makers."

The supervisors last week endorsed the sale but sought additional approval from the government, which in turn said the supervisors should have the final say.

There have been rumours that the supervisors could step down instead of taking a decision today. Cerar said this would be "an utterly irresponsible act" that would have "grave legal consequences."