LJUBLJANA, Slovenia – A court in Slovenia has sentenced former prime minister Janez Jansa to two years in prison for seeking bribes from a Finnish arms dealer while in office.
The District Court in Ljubljana ruled Wednesday that Jansa and two others sought about 2 million euros in bribes to help Finnish firm Patria win a 2006 contract for 135 armored personnel carriers worth 278 million euros.
Jansa has denied the accusations, claiming they are politically motivated. Several hundred supporters have rallied outside the court to protest the ruling.
Jansa served twice as prime minister. His center-right government was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote earlier this year after an anti-graft body accused him of corruption.