Gjoko Ristov, a judge at the Court of Appeals, was dismissed from office by the Judicial Council during a session held on 30 September 2026.
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Despite his dismissal, he will receive his full salary for September, without any deductions. Ristov has been in pretrial detention since 18 January 2026, is facing charges and has not been reporting to work.
Until the latest decision, he had only been suspended and removed from his duties, while his status as a judge had not been revoked.
Ristov’s wife reacted in a post on her Facebook profile. She said the Judicial Council’s decision had not surprised her and claimed that the dismissal had been carried out under pressure on Council members.
The trial against the judge began on 28 May at the Skopje Criminal Court and is still currently in the evidentiary phase. At the Ristov family home in Negotino, the Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime and Corruption had discovered 350,000 undeclared euros hidden in a wall.
The money, kept in large-denomination banknotes, was found after the arrest of lawyer Fehmi Stafa, who had been caught taking 50,000 euros. During the investigation, Stafa stated that the sum had been intended for Ristov.
