"The information is correct. Among those whom we paid are two out of three Croatian clients who have sued our bank before the court in Strasbourg," the director of the bank in question, Bojan Ozura, told the newspaper.
He explained that the deposits were paid to the two clients who sued in Strasbourg after they had used all possible legal means in Croatia. The third plaintiff has not used all possible legal means in Croatia and the bank thinks that the European Court of Human Rights cannot deal with his case.
According to some Slovene legal and financial experts, through this act the bank countered effects of a possible verdict of the Court might have ruled in favour of the two plaintiffs. Such a verdict would have set a precedent which other courts could follow for the payment of deposits to remaining clients who have not been given back their money.
The 33 Croatian clients were paid from funds obtained through the sale of 'old' Ljubljanska Banka's real estate in the eastern Croatian city of Osijek.
Slovene officials in charge of negotiations on issues stemming from the succession to the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on Tuesday declined to comment on the bank's move.
On Monday the Slovene Foreign Ministry issued two documents on its web site stating that the border dispute with Croatia and Croatian citizens' deposits in the ex-Ljubljanska Banka are issues which have to be settled as part of Croatia's entry negotiations with the European Union and its adjustment to European legal standards.
Regarding unpaid deposits which Croatian citizens made in Ljubljanska Banka's Zagreb branch, a 14-item document says this is a succession issue related to the disintegration of communist Yugoslavia.
The document brings Ljubljana's familiar statements and positions on the matter, including the one that Croatia refused to settle the issue by arbitration and that contrary to all other ex-Yugoslav states, it was against having the deposits paid back by the territorial principle.