13.06.2026 16:10
The past of Slovenian parliamentarian Vladimir Prebilic, who played a role in preparing the Turkey report containing the allegation that sanctions were proposed against Justice Minister Akın Gürlek in the European Parliament, has come back to the agenda. While Prebilic's name has been associated with various ethical and irregularity debates, from his tenure as mayor to election campaigns, Minister Gürlek also made notable statements.
In the Turkey report to be voted on Thursday, June 17, at the European Parliament plenary session, the claim that Justice Minister Akın Gürlek was proposed for inclusion on the sanctions list became a topic of discussion. Information about Slovenian parliamentarian Vladimir Prebilic from the European Parliament's Greens Group, who played a key role in drafting the report, also began to spark curiosity.
Minister Gürlek said the following about Prebilic: 'It would also be appropriate for a European Parliament member, who has been the subject of debate on various topics from his municipal tenure to election campaign processes, to examine the transparency, ethics, and accountability debates reflected in the public regarding his own political career.'
Here is what is curious about the life and political career of Vladimir Prebilic, who played a role in drafting the report proposing Minister Gürlek's inclusion on the sanctions list.
WHO IS VLADIMIR PREBILIC?
Vladimir Prebilic serves as a Slovenian politician, a Member of the European Parliament, and the president of the political party named Prerod. He was elected as the Mayor of Kocevje in 2010 as an independent candidate and continued in this role after being re-elected until 2024.
In 2024, he was nominated from the Greens group and elected to the European Parliament, and in 2025, he founded the party named Prerod and became its leader.
WHY IS PREBILIC ON THE AGENDA?
Prebilic came to the Silivri courtroom on June 11, 2026, to follow the hearing of the case regarding the 'Ekrem İmamoğlu Organized Crime Organization' being heard at the Istanbul 40th Heavy Penal Court.
Alongside Prebilic were also European Parliament Greens Group Advisor Sarah Henkel and European Parliament Member Prebilic's Advisor Dorde Bojovic.
Although Prebilic builds his current political stance on an 'anti-corruption' discourse, it was noteworthy that he faced certain scandals related to his own election campaign and subsequent events, and that he was present as an observer at one of Turkey's largest corruption trials in history.
##19945119##
SCANDALS INVOLVING PREBILIC
1. MELAMIN FACTORY EXPLOSION
In 2022, an explosion occurred at the Melamin Factory in Kocevje, where Prebilic was mayor. The explosion killed 7 people. It was determined that the incident occurred due to human error (mixing incorrect chemicals) and negligence in the company's safety measures. The explosion was recorded as one of the deadliest industrial accidents in Slovenia's recent history.
Prebilic, regarding the factory for which he had oversight responsibility, stated shortly after the incident: 'Not everything was according to the book at Melamin. The company may need to be moved elsewhere.'
2- ELECTION CAMPAIGN AND COURT OF AUDIT REPORT
In July 2023, Prebilic's candidacy campaign was audited by the Slovenian Court of Audit. The Court of Audit issued a 'qualified/adverse' opinion on Prebilic, reporting that a negative assessment was made regarding both the accuracy of transactions in the election campaign and their reporting.
Although Prebilic built his narrative in the election campaign on opposition to 'corruption/irregularities' and a 'raising very little aid' narrative, no other candidate received a negative assessment during the Court of Audit's inspection.
The Court of Audit report highlighted the following irregularities:
- - Illegal donation: Accepted a cash donation from a company named Arhiteza d. o. o. According to Slovenia's election law, private companies could not finance campaigns. This money was also not deposited into a humanitarian aid organization within 30 days. (It had to be deposited after the report.)
- - Non-campaign expenditures: Expenditures made after the campaign period ended (a restaurant bill and PR service) were considered irregular as they were outside the campaign period.
- - Reporting errors: It was found that income and expenses were incorrectly declared.
Prebilic downplayed the incident by saying 'Because of a restaurant bill,' but the public criticized him both for being the only candidate to receive a negative assessment and for failing to 'properly manage' the donation budget, which was narrated as being quite low.
3- LUXURY OFFICIAL VEHICLE
Prebilic continued to come to the forefront with 'stretching the rules' between 2022 and 2023. According to the management rules of the Kocevje municipality, the maximum value of service vehicles was 30,000 Euros, yet a limousine worth 65,000 Euros was purchased for Prebilic.
Prebilic claimed that 'the car was electric and would provide savings in the long run.' However, the opposition press harshly reacted to this behavior, which was both against the law and contradictory to his own political narrative. The next mayor announced that they sold the official vehicle 'at half price because it was too costly.'
4- EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT SPEECH
In December 2024, Prebilic, speaking about the protests in Serbia, began his speech in Serbian. However, Serbian is not recognized as an official language in the European Union. Facing backlash, Prebilic had to continue his speech in English.
This move sparked widespread reactions not only in his home country Slovenia but also in Croatia and even Serbia.
5- NEW IRREGULARITIES IN GENERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN
Prebilic again came to the forefront with controversies at the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026. While continuing his duties in the European Parliament and receiving a salary, organizing a campaign for the general elections to be held in March 2026 drew significant criticism.
Prebilic, who did not attend Parliament meetings during the campaign period, also faced public backlash because Marika Grubar and Jelena Štrbac, whom he appointed as parliamentary advisors in Brussels, also worked for his political party.
Although the European Parliament prohibits parliamentarians from using their advisors in national campaigns, Prebilic defended himself by saying 'They (the advisors) are focused on Europe and are not participating in the campaign,' but it was revealed that his advisors used the same email addresses for Prerod and the European Parliament and effectively carried out both roles.
6- CONTROVERSIES REGARDING ROMA
The split within the Vesna party was interpreted as Vladimir Prebilic parting ways with the party after being elected to the European Parliament and forgetting his promises. In particular, his harsh statements regarding Roma (amnesty for petty crimes, intimidation of victims, and emphasis on 'red lines') caused serious discomfort among party members.
In some Slovak articles, Prebilic initially aligned with Vesna's softer and more left-leaning stance at the time of his election, but later, he addressed the Romani issue in Kočevje with a much harsher tone, turning some factions within the party against him. This was interpreted as him drifting away from Vesna after being elected and charting his own political path (his subsequent founding of Prerod supports this).
Overall, his statements regarding the Romani people sparked debate among the Greens, and he faced criticism for using expressions such as people turning to self-administered justice due to the ineffectiveness of penalties.
Although Vladimir Prebilic has not faced any major corruption or serious crime allegations in Slovenian politics to date, throughout his political career, he has shown a notable tendency to bend the rules and downplay illegal or unethical activities. Despite building his political narrative on the concepts of 'anti-corruption and transparency,' he continues to make headlines over issues such as the Court of Audit report during his 2022 presidential campaign, the purchase of a luxury service vehicle during his time in Kočevje, the dual roles of his Brussels assistants during the national election campaign, and the alleged political offer made to him.