Press release after the Meeting of the Governing Board of the Bank of Slovenia on 26 November 2013

11/26/2013 / Press release

1) The Governing Board of the Bank of Slovenia discussed current supervisory matters.

2) A regulation amending the regulation on the minimum requirements for ensuring an adequate liquidity position at banks and savings banks (planning of liquidity flows) was adopted.
The proposed amendment introduced a requirement for banks to monitor and report on their liquidity flows, which should make a positive contribution to the quality of liquidity management at banks. The monitoring and reporting of liquidity inflows and outflows and liquid assets will allow for better insight into a bank’s future liquidity position, the early detection of potential problem areas and the timely preparation of measures to prevent or bridge liquidity deficits.

3) The Governing Board of the Bank of Slovenia appointed the Bank of Slovenia's Audit Committee: Dr Dušan Zbašnik as president, and Romana Logar and Darko Bohnec as members.

4) The Governing Board of the Bank of Slovenia sent the following to Dr Vinko Gorenak, a parliamentary deputy:
Public response by the Governor of the Bank of Slovenia to Dr Vinko Gorenak in connection with a call for action against NLB d.d. published on Dr Gorenak’s website on 22 November 2013:
Dear Sir,
In connection with your call for action, I can inform you that the the Governor and the Bank of Slovenia are doing everything possible to help the relevant authorities do their job. 
NLB d.d. itself contacted the Bank of Slovenia some time ago regarding the reservations of its own staff in connection with the disclosure of information to the Police in light of the provisions of Banking Act, and in this connection asked the Bank of Slovenia for clarification of its position and for a meeting. At the meeting held in September of this year, the Bank of Slovenia clarified its position for NLB d.d.’s representatives, and gave them its interpretation of the legal provisions in connection with the protection of confidential information. In the opinion of the Bank of Slovenia, in cases when the relevant authorities require information on the basis of other laws, the disclosure of information by a bank is not a breach of the Banking Act, and in particular in cases when the bank itself files a criminal complaint, the bank should submit all relevant evidence. 
Shortly after the aforementioned meeting and the provision of the legal opinion to NLB d.d., at our own initiative the Bank of Slovenia held a meeting with representatives of the Police and the Specialized Office of the State Prosecutor, where in the exchange of opinions for the strengthening and improvement of mutual cooperation we clarified the Bank of Slovenia’s interpretations in connection with the issue of the disclosure of confidential information.
I should also mention that the most recent amendment of the Banking Act, which now provides a clearer definition of exemptions from the obligation to protect confidential information if a bank is disclosing information to the relevant authorities on the grounds of a suspected criminal offence, supports the Bank of Slovenia’s positions, which were, as stated, conveyed to NLB d.d. and to the relevant authorities. In connection with the liabilities of banks’ management boards, I can inform you that, in respect of criminal liability and liability for damages in connection with holding office as a member of a bank’s management or supervisory body, the amendment of the aforementioned law has extended the statute of limitations to four times their previous length.