Slovenia creates specialised court and prosecution body for corruption cases

Slovenia will concentrate its fight against corruption, organised crime and terrorism in a single specialised court and a reorganised specialised prosecution service under the ZSOKOK Act, published in Uradni list Republike Slovenije No. 1568/2026 of 2 October 2026. The law was adopted by the Državni zbor on 24 September 2026 and promulgated by President Nataša Pirc Musar by decree No. 003-02-1/2026-196 of 2 October 2026. The new Specializirano kazensko sodišče Republike Slovenije begins performing its judicial function on 1 July 2027.

The Act on specialised bodies for the handling of corruption offences and organised crime (EPA 188-X, EVA 2026-2030-0043) amends five existing statutes: the Zakon o organiziranosti in delu v policiji, the Zakon o državnem tožilstvu, the Zakon o sodiščih, the Zakon o sodnikih and the Zakon o varstvu pravice do sojenja brez nepotrebnega odlašanja. It enters into force on the fifteenth day after publication and applies from 1 July 2027, when the Zakon o sodiščih and the Zakon o sodnikih also start to apply.

A renamed prosecution service with more prosecutors

The Specializirano državno tožilstvo Republike Slovenije continues its work as the Specializirano tožilstvo za pregon korupcije in organiziranega kriminala (StKOK), taking over its funds, premises, equipment and archives, and its prosecutors carry on with all pending cases. The maximum number of prosecutors at the body rises from ten to 25, and a new internal organisational unit for analytical support to its prosecutors is established.

• Jurisdiction covers corruption offences, including bribery in elections and unlawful intermediation, economic crimes such as money laundering and anti-competitive conduct, damage to public funds, terrorism and human trafficking.
• Cases involving an official as perpetrator of bribery or unlawful gifts are handled as a priority.
• The head of StKOK must have at least three years of experience in the body’s field of work.
• State bodies and public legal entities in anti-corruption, anti-money-laundering, tax, financial, securities, competition, drug and inspection matters must notify StKOK immediately and cooperate with it.

A single specialised criminal court in Ljubljana

The Specializirano kazensko sodišče Republike Slovenije has national territorial jurisdiction and its seat in Ljubljana, where it starts operating in the premises of the specialised department of the Okrožno sodišče v Ljubljani. It rules at first instance on corruption and organised crime cases in which StKOK directs the pre-trial procedure, proposes investigative steps or files the indictment.

• Appeals against its first-instance decisions go exclusively to the Višje sodišče v Mariboru.
• Its judges hold the title of district judge and receive the basic salary of a vrhovni sodnik; its president is paid at the level of a vice-president of the Vrhovno sodišče.
• A candidate must have at least three of the required four years of professional experience in criminal law.
• The court may have two vice-presidents, and its judges may work at the seat of another district court with the consent of that court’s president.

Police powers and the transition timetable

The Nacionalni preiskovalni urad must always open or take over investigations into offences in the catalogue falling within StKOK’s jurisdiction, and in other cases at the written request of the head of StKOK. On the day the specialised court starts work, the specialised departments at district courts seated where higher courts sit cease to operate and their cases, documentation and assets pass to the new court.

• The justice ministry must advertise the post of head of StKOK within one month of the start of application.
• The Sodni svet advertises the post of president of the specialised court within 15 days of entry into force.
• The president of the Vrhovno sodišče determines the number of judicial posts within 30 days and publishes the court’s annual schedule for 1 July to 31 December 2027 by 20 May 2027.
• Time standards for 2027 are set by 15 June 2027, and the justice minister harmonises the decree on the number of prosecutor posts by 15 May 2027.

The reform centralises Slovenia’s most sensitive criminal cases in one court and one prosecution body, ending the dispersal of such work across specialised departments of district courts. It also gives the Nacionalni preiskovalni urad a standing mandate to take over corruption and organised crime investigations, a change that shifts the balance between police and prosecution in the most complex cases.

Source: Uradni list Republike Slovenije, No. 1568/2026, 2 October 2026, Section I, pp. 1–16 (official reference: EPA 188-X).