Ivan Črnkovič, former mayor of Kostel, dies at 74

Ivan Črnkovič, a long-time entrepreneur and former mayor of the Kostel municipality, has died at the age of 74. The Kostel municipality described him as a “significant builder of its modern history” who left a lasting mark on the local community along the Kolpa River.

Črnkovič was the majority owner, proxy, and long-time director of the company Rotis. He served as the mayor of Kostel after being elected in 2018 with 66 percent of the vote, though he chose not to run for re-election four years later.

He was also known for his involvement in the Patria case. In 2013, he was convicted alongside Janez Janša and Tonet Krkovič regarding illegal mediation in the procurement of Finnish eight-wheeled armored vehicles. While the Constitutional Court overturned the convictions in 2015, the case subsequently expired due to the statute of limitations. The state paid Črnkovič 63,000 euros in compensation for his time spent in prison before the conviction was invalidated.