Prosecutor Lenche Ristoska: “Talir 2” Case Removed From Me to Block Confiscation of VMRO-DPMNE’s Headquarters and Assets

Prosecutor Lenche Ristoska has issued a strong statement following the news published a day earlier that former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski was acquitted in the judicial process known as “Talir 2.”

Until recently, it was precisely Ristoska who led the investigation and represented the prosecution in this complex case.

According to her, the totality of the circumstances – including a decision that contradicts the initial one, a segment of the indictment that is not mentioned at all in the court’s official announcement, and the strategic moment when this decision is taken, close to the expiration of the statute of limitations – leads her to a single conclusion. She believes that this entire action serves to significantly complicate the further process of asset seizure. This, she stresses, shows that the criminal conviction of Gruevski in this case was a secondary concern for VMRO-DPMNE, as the criminal prosecution would expire in any case.

The core of the issue, according to the prosecutor, lies in the fact that the property obtained by the party is a direct consequence of Gruevski’s documented actions during the procedure. For this reason, she emphasizes, the fate of the criminal case and the property are closely linked: an acquittal automatically collapses the legal basis for confiscation within this criminal process. She calls the narrative that tries to present the decision in one part as just and in another as merely a consequence of Criminal Code changes unfounded, separating two issues that are legally inseparable.

Summing up the entire chain of events, Ristoska expresses her unwavering conviction that the case was taken from her hands to allow interested parties to achieve their main objective: avoiding confiscation. “For the sake of the procedure’s consistency and to dispel any doubt, I expect the prosecution to file an appeal,” she declared.