STA, January 29, 2018 - The specialised prosecution office brought charges against Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković in December, alleging that he took a bribe from a company, the newspaper Delo reported on Monday.
According to Delo, Janković lodged an appeal against the indictment in late December, which is still pending. The indictment is thus not final yet.
Janković is suspected of demanding 500,000 euro from Gratel in March 2007 in exchange for which he allegedly granted the company the permission to dig roads to install optic cables.
Gratel allegedly donated the money to Ljubljana Castle for renovation.
The prosecution confirmed for the paper having filed charges against "an individual on suspicion of bribe taking".
Janković had already denied the allegation when the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) raided the offices of the Ljubljana municipality and several other locations in February 2014.
He told reporters at the time that he was suspected of taking bribes for the benefit of the municipality, including EUR 250,000 that Gratel granted in donation to Ljubljana Castle.
According to Delo, Janković also denied demanding the donation in a hearing before an investigating judge, arguing that the money was to pay for the damage caused to the municipality by Gratel.
Janković is a suspect in three further investigations before an investigating judge, while the specialised prosecution and NBI handle several criminal complaints against him, Delo wrote.
