Arrested in Ljubljana: 48 hours, and a long wait afterwards

Who reads about an arrest in Ljubljana

Some readers are visitors who were detained in Slovenia after a night out, a dispute, a border check or a road incident. They were taken to a police station, their phone was logged, and they were told they would be taken to court. They do not know whether they have been charged, and they are not sure what the investigative judge will do. They have heard that Slovenia moves quickly at the start, and they want to know what happens after that.

Others are relatives at home who received a call, often late at night, from a friend, an embassy employee or the person themselves. They know a name and a city, and sometimes a police station. They want to know how soon a judge must see the person, whether bail is possible and how long a hold can last. They are relieved to hear that the judge acts quickly, and alarmed to learn that the average wait in pre-trial detention is the longest in the European Union.

A further group are people who live or work in Slovenia, including those who cross from Italy daily or weekly, who were detained in connection with a business matter, a transport check or a dispute. They have more local context than a visitor, but the same difficulty with language and procedure.

Others are people who have received a summons and are afraid of what attendance will mean. All of them benefit from a plain account of the Slovenian structure: a short period before a judge, a discussion in which the investigative judge decides, bail where the court accepts it, and a potentially long wait afterwards. This page sets out those stages and explains where an Italian lawyer can help from a distance.

The decisions that cannot wait

In the early hours of a Slovenian detention, a few decisions carry real weight. The most important is whether to speak. You must be taken to court within a fixed period of the arrest, and the investigative judge discusses the case with you and decides on remand, release or conditions. What you say there shapes the decision. A statement made without a lawyer, in a language you do not master, can be fixed in the record in a form you did not intend. Silence is uncomfortable and can provoke pressure, but it can be broken later with a lawyer beside you. A statement can never be taken back.

The next choice concerns bail and conditions. Bail is available where the court accepts it, and the strength of your case for it depends on facts you can put forward: a stable address, work, family and a reason to stay available. Think about whether you can stay in Slovenia in practice, because conditions may require it, and a stay at a hotel for weeks is costly. Consider what a lighter measure would mean for work and family, and what the family can provide as security.

Another choice is whom to engage. A lawyer qualified in Slovenia is needed to act before the court. An Italian lawyer can coordinate, explain the system to your family and manage the Italian side. Delay is costly, because the period before the court is short.

Finally, decide who is told. The consulate can confirm where you are held and pass messages, and it is almost always worth informing. Family can be told in measured terms. Choose a relative to speak for the family so that messages stay consistent.

What to put together now

Anyone outside the cell, whether a friend, a relative or the person after release, can help by assembling documents. Lawyers on both sides act faster and with more precision when the following are available.

• Identity papers, clearly photographed, so the lawyer can confirm names, dates of birth and nationality as recorded by the Slovenian police.
• Every paper handed over by the police or the court, photographed in full. It shows the stage reached and the time at which the clock began.
• The time and place of the arrest and the station where the person is held, because the period before the court is counted from the arrest.
• The list of personal belongings drawn up in your presence, with the receipt. Belongings should be listed and returned, and the receipt proves what was taken.
• Proof of address, work and family ties, which bear on bail and on whether the court should order remand or accept a lighter measure.
• Funds available for bail, so that the lawyer knows what the family or an employer could provide.
• Travel records: tickets, bookings and receipts, which show where the person was and when.
• Medical information and a list of medicines, for any request about conditions of detention.
• Consulate details and a log of any conversations.

What a Ljubljana detention does to ordinary life

Detention in Ljubljana interrupts every plan that surrounds it. The return flight or journey is missed, the hotel keeps charging, and travel insurance often excludes events linked to an arrest. A visitor released on conditions may be told to remain available, which turns a short stay into an open-ended stay. Employers want explanations, and a short absence that cannot be accounted for can become a disciplinary problem.

Phones and bags are taken and listed, so the detained person cannot call anyone or check a bank balance. Passports may be retained. Friends who travelled together are interviewed as witnesses, and trust within a group strains quickly. A person alone in a foreign city, in a language they may not speak, finds the simplest tasks hard.

If remand is ordered, the consequences multiply, and here the average wait is the longest in the Union. The person may be held for a long period before trial, and the household at home must cope with lost income, unpaid bills and the strain of waiting. Relatives take on a role they never wanted: collecting papers, finding lawyers, calling the consulate and answering questions from neighbours and employers. Professional reputations can suffer, particularly for people in regulated jobs.

Plan for these practical consequences alongside the legal ones. Make a short list of what depends on the person returning by a certain date, who must be informed and who can cover obligations. Give that list to the lawyer, so any application for release or for permission to travel can be framed around real need. If the wait looks long, ask early about contact, visits and the options for a lighter measure.

Questions to put to the lawyer

Arrest abroad generates much general reassurance and little specific information. These questions force specifics.

• At what exact moment did the arrest happen, and by when must the person be taken before the court?
• Who is the investigative judge, and what will they discuss with the person at the hearing?
• Is bail available on these facts, and what sum or guarantee might be asked?
• If remand is ordered, how long is it likely to last in practice, and how can it be reviewed?
• Who is the Slovenian lawyer, how was the person chosen, and what will they do that an Italian lawyer cannot?
• What facts about address, work and family can be put before the court to support a lighter measure?
• How do interpreters work, and can a statement signed without an interpreter be contested?
• What happens to belongings, phone and passport, and how are they returned?
• Does anything need to be done in Italy, and who coordinates between the lawyers?

What to avoid while the clock is running

Under stress, people do the things that feel natural and cause the most damage. Avoid these.

• Do not sign anything you cannot read. A signature turns whatever is written into your account. Ask for an interpreter and a translation, and note any refusal.
• Do not guess at answers. If you are unsure of a date or detail, say so. A wrong guess is later treated as a lie.
• Do not discuss the case with fellow detainees. Conversations are not private, and others may repeat what they hear.
• Do not let friends post anything about the trip or the arrest. Online comments reach the file and are misread.
• Do not delete messages or photos from devices you hold. Deletion looks like concealment.
• Do not hire the person who offers help through a hotel, a taxi or a stranger without checking who they are and who pays them.
• Do not pay anyone to speed things up. It is dangerous and can create a new problem.
• Do not accept that a long wait is inevitable without asking about bail and lighter measures. A reasoned request can change the position.

When the case sits between Ljubljana and Italy

A Slovenian detention of an Italian citizen creates systems that rarely move at the same pace. Slovenian authorities act in Slovenian, and the language of the file shapes who can read it. An interpreter is a right, but quality varies, and a poor translation can distort a statement. Ask for the interpreter's name and note any problems. Because Slovenia borders Italy, many people crossing the frontier are detained in connection with ordinary journeys, and relatives can reach Ljubljana quickly, which is helpful but should be coordinated with the lawyers.

Documents are the main source of delay. Slovenian papers may need official translation and certification before they can be used in Italy, and Italian papers requested in Slovenia face the same route. Start collecting them immediately, scan everything and send copies to both lawyers at once. Post can take days, and a missing certificate can postpone a hearing.

Ljubljana and Rome share a time zone, which makes calls easier, but offices keep their own hours and holidays. Agree in advance who calls the Slovenian lawyer and when, and who reports to the family.

The consulate can confirm the person is held, check on welfare and pass messages. It does not choose or pay the lawyer and does not argue the merits. Where the same facts also interest Italian authorities, the defence lawyers must coordinate so that what is said in a country does not damage the position in the other. Tell the office early if any Italian dimension exists, such as a company, an earlier inquiry or a family matter.

How the office handles arrests in Slovenia

Call +39 335 669 3954 or write to avvmassimoromano@gmail.com. A call about a person in custody is treated as urgent, including outside normal hours. The initial conversation covers where the person is, when they were taken, what papers exist, whether a local lawyer is already involved and who in the family will be the contact.

The office works in English and Italian. Photographs of documents can be sent through a secure channel and are read before any approach is suggested. The plan separates what must happen in Slovenia, what can be done in Italy and what the family must provide, and it names who is responsible for each task.

An Italian lawyer does not replace Slovenian counsel. The office identifies a lawyer qualified in Slovenia, agrees the scope of that work and coordinates, so that statements, applications to the court and messages to the consulate are consistent. The family receives updates through a single point of contact after each hearing and each decision.

The engagement is confirmed in writing, with scope and fees stated clearly. The firm has offices in Rome at Via Avicenna 97, in Milan at Via Giuseppe Pecchio 3 and in Naples at Corso Umberto I 237, and meetings can be held in person or by video. You will be told what is being done and why, without promises about the outcome.

Words you will see on Slovenian papers

These expressions appear on this page and are likely to appear on documents. Understanding them removes a source of fear.

• Investigative judge is the judicial officer who discusses the case with the arrested person and decides on remand, release or conditions.
• Remand is custody ordered before any trial. It is not a conviction.
• Bail is release against a guarantee, available where the court accepts it, usually with conditions.
• Pre-trial detention is the period of custody before trial, which in Slovenia lasts longer on average than anywhere else in the Union.
• Personal belongings are the items taken from you, which must be listed in your presence with a receipt and returned.
• Conditions are the restrictions attached to a lighter measure, such as remaining available or reporting.
• Consulate is the office of your own country, which can confirm where you are held and pass messages but does not provide a defence.

If another term appears on a document, ask your lawyer to explain it before replying. Keep a list of the terms you meet, with their meaning, in the shared folder, so that the family and both lawyers use the same words.