Makraduli denies responsibility for Post Office debts: The invoices were issued before I took over

Jani Makraduli, the former head of the North Macedonia Post joint-stock company, rejects the accusations of abuse of office and official authority. The Financial Police Directorate has filed a criminal complaint against him over unpaid obligations owed by the state-owned company to two private companies.

Makraduli says the invoices under investigation relate to a period before his appointment. He maintains that, during his time leading the Post Office, he acted honestly and responsibly and complied with legal rules.

The complaint was made public today by the Financial Police, which claims there are grounds to suspect that Makraduli failed to take the necessary measures to settle the debt, amounting to around 19.3 million denars, or approximately 314,000 euros, during his tenure at the company.

According to the institution, the failure to meet the financial obligations owed to the two companies led to the initiation of legal proceedings against the North Macedonia Post. The courts ruled that the state-owned company had to pay nearly 11 million denars, around 178,000 euros, in late-payment interest.

The Financial Police links the alleged actions to the years 2021–2022, when Makraduli was chairman of the company’s Board of Directors.

In a statement to “Telma,” the former director said that legality and the protection of the public interest had guided him in office. He insists that the invoices were not issued during his mandate, but were an inherited problem that he faced when he took over.

Makraduli explained that there were disagreements within the institution among the relevant departments over whether there was a legal basis for the payment. According to him, the documents show that he sought a solution to the obligations, but no agreement was reached during his mandate on how they should be settled.

He singled out the absence of a public procurement contract as the main obstacle. In his interpretation, this created uncertainty over whether the Post Office could pay the invoices and conclude agreements without an appropriate legal basis. For this reason, he said, no joint solution was found for the obligations owed to the two companies.

The former director claims that his efforts were aimed at finding a legal solution to the inherited issue and that he took no actions contrary to the law. He says he is convinced that he did not violate the law and bears no responsibility for the case.

Thus, Makraduli disputes the position of the Financial Police, which maintains that the failure to implement the decisions of the Board of Directors caused the state-owned company to incur additional financial obligations./Telegrafi/