Construction baron Ivan Zidar dies aged 82

Ljubljana – Ivan Zidar, who dominated the Slovenian construction industry for decades until his demise in the mid-2000s, has died aged 82, Delo newspaper reported on Sunday.

Zidar was among the defendants in the Clean Shovel, a anti-corruption sting which uncovered collusion of major builders in the construction of an air traffic control power at Ljubljana Airport.

All the defendants were found guilty in a trial start started in 2008 and finished in 2013, but due to ill health Zidar never served his 14-month prison sentence.

Zidar started his career in the early 1970s and in 1980 he became the director of SCT, then Slovenia’s biggest and most powerful construction company.

The company weathered the post-independence period and started thriving when the country started building motorways in the mid-1990s.

For over two decades Zidar was considered one of the most powerful and influential players in Slovenian industry in general.

Things came to a halt after a management buyout in 2007 and the ensuing trial. In 2011 SCT entered receivership and its assets were acquired by smaller players.

In recent years Zidar has eschewed the public eye.

The post Construction baron Ivan Zidar dies aged 82 appeared first on Slovenia Times.

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