ITALIAN DAILY COVERS CRO. DEPOSITORS' LAWSUIT AGAINST SLOVENE BANK

TRIESTE/LJUBLJANA, Feb 4 (Hina) - A legal representative for some Croatian depositors with Ljubljanska Banka has filed a lawsuit with a court in Trieste, Italy for the restitution of deposits frozen in the Slovene bank since 1991, the Trieste-based daily Il Piccolo says on Monday. Attorney Bozidar Vukasovic is relying on the fact that the bank's branch in the northern Adriatic seaport has not transformed into the New Ljubljanska Banka as in Slovenia but retains the business registration and tax number as before 1991, the newspaper alleges. Around 140,000 Croatian depositors are claiming approximately EUR150 million from Ljubljanska Banka without accrued interest, Il Piccolo says. The bank's branch in the Italian seaport is worth around EUR10 million and has a cash flow of EUR60 million. Slovene Finance Minister Anton Rop has said he believes the lawsuit has no chance of success and only represents an attempt to prevent the privatisation of Slovenia's largest bank and selling a share to a foreign partner. "Slovenia has already settled all claims related to foreign deposits (made at the time of the ex-Yugoslavia), on the territorial principle, and such lawsuits are simply inappropriate," Rop told the business daily Finance. "The business review of Nova Ljubljanska Banka has been carried out, the legal status is clear. And if there were any claims in connection with past foreign currency deposits... these claims wouldn't refer to Nova Ljubljanska Banka but the old Ljubljanska Banka," the minister said. (hina) ha sb