STA, 14 April 2022 - Robert Golob, the leader of the Freedom Movement and an ex-energy company CEO, has revealed his income earned in 2020 and part of his employment contract as GEN-I chairman, after he was recently urged to do so by the interior minister in an election debate. He said that he had nothing to hide and that the data from the two documents matched.
The statement of the 2020 income issued by the Financial Administration (FURS) shows that Golob had just over EUR 433,000 in taxable income that year.
Another document he provided to journalists on Thursday shows that his annual salary as GEN-I chairman was slightly over EUR 438,000 gross, or just over EUR 214,000 net.
Golob failed to win another term as GEN-I boss in November, when he said that the move had been politically motivated, and eventually decided to enter politics.
Ever since he has lost the top job at the electricity retailer, his allegedly high salary has been making headlines, especially in right-wing media.
The segment of his job contract he presented today shows he had a monthly gross salary of EUR 11,950 apart from being entitled to a performance bonus of up to 15% of the salary and to an annual performance bonus.
Golob told the press that he had earned all his income in Slovenia, where he also pays taxes. "My assets have a known source and nothing is hidden, even less so somewhere abroad."
He did not disclose his income tax statement saying that he does not want to reveal data about his family members. Nevertheless, he is willing to show it for 2021 under the condition that he does not have to show the data about the family members.
Asked why he had not shown the FURS income statement before, he said he would not allow "the police minister to dictate which data he has to give to the media or anyone else".
This is in reference to Interior Minister Aleš Hojs, who urged Golob in an election debate to disclose his income tax statement for 2020.
Hojs had argued that all the other party leaders had already send their income tax statements to public broadcaster RTV Slovenija. Asked by Golob how he knew that, Hojs said that the editors had told him.
Responding to Golob's move, Hojs said today that Golob was probably showing a statement from Gen-I, not his income tax returns. "This does not mean that this is all he earned. He should show the income tax return, just like everybody else."
