Four prosecutors vie to lead the Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime and Corruption

Four applications have so far been submitted to the Council of Public Prosecutors for the position of head of the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office for Prosecuting Organized Crime and Corruption (OJO GOKK). The application deadline closes this weekend, while applications sent by post will also be accepted until Monday, Council President Bashkim Besimi confirmed to Telma.

The candidates for the position are Skopje Public Prosecutor’s Office prosecutor Lidija Raičeviq, prosecutors Iskra Haxhi Vasileva and Faton Azizi, and Jove Cvetanovski, a prosecutor at the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Cvetanovski recently asked the Court of Appeal judges to uphold the acquittal of Nikola Gruevski in the “Talir 2” case. He also reopened the “Mazuti” case, whose investigation had been closed by OJO GOKK.

The prime minister described the decision to halt that investigation as scandalous. The ruling VMRO-DPMNE also criticized Islam Abazi, who headed the prosecutor’s office at the time, and the prosecutor handling the case, Kolareviq.

In March this year, the Council of Public Prosecutors lifted the disciplinary measure and suspension imposed on Cvetanovski, returning the matter to the Disciplinary Commission for reconsideration. Following the decision, he resumed working on cases.

The Štip Prosecutor’s Office has filed an indictment against him for abuse of office in connection with the allocation of cases. Although a year has passed, the indictment has still not been reviewed. His former superior, Mustafa Hajrullahi, is also charged in the same case.

The case has repeatedly been sent back and forth between the Basic Court in Štip and the Court of Appeal in Štip.

The defense had requested that the evidence be separated, but the request was initially rejected by the Basic Court. Following an appeal, the higher court ruled in favor of the defense and overturned the decision. However, the Basic Court once again issued the same decision and refused to allow the evidence to be separated, prompting the defense to appeal again to the Štip Court of Appeal.

The court told Telma that it received the case on August 20 and subsequently sent it to the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Štip for an opinion. A response from that prosecutor’s office has yet to arrive.

According to Cvetanovski, the Disciplinary Commission issued an acquittal and found no disciplinary liability on his part. Regarding the indictment, he claims it does not prevent him from taking part in the race.

“The indictment is not final and does not constitute an obstacle. That indictment was filed on the basis of the disciplinary case, and it is known why it was done,” said Jovan Cvetanovski, a prosecutor at the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Skopje.

Lidija Raičeviq previously also applied for the position of State Public Prosecutor. She led the case concerning the murder of Pino Sekondo, the “Rover” case against Ljube Boshkovski and the “Erasmus” case, while she is currently also working on the “Zhan Mitrev” case.

Iskra Haxhi Vasileva is currently in the public spotlight because of the case against judge Gjoko Ristov. Before her authority was revoked, she had also led the “Zhan Mitrev” case, as well as the “Oriental” case.

Faton Azizi is the prosecutor in the “Aditiv,” FFM and “Botoks” cases. He is also handling the case against Tatjana Dimitrovska, former president of the State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption.

The current head of OJO GOKK, Islam Abazi, recently announced that he would not seek another term.

Prosecutors will directly elect the new head of the Prosecutor’s Office for Prosecuting Organized Crime and Corruption in a vote to be held on October 28.