Ristoska: I would have opened any case against SDSM without hesitation

Lenče Ristoska, the former prosecutor who resigned following decisions by the Council of Public Prosecutors and the new state prosecutor to withdraw the two “Talir” cases, said she had acted within her authority, relying on illegally intercepted conversations that were under the jurisdiction of the Special Prosecutor’s Office (SPO) at the time.

During the debate program “24 Analiza,” Ristoska said she would not have hesitated to launch proceedings if there had been a case against SDSM.

She explained that, regarding cases linked to the ruling party, the SPO would not have handled the investigation if the regular prosecutor’s office had done so at the time.

“I was also pressured by SDSM, as the government, to unfreeze the assets in this case. Why do you think this case concerns only VMRO-DPMNE?” the former prosecutor asked.

The “Talir 1 and 2” cases involve former VMRO-DPMNE officials, as well as the party itself as a legal entity.

In the “Talir 2” case, the Basic Criminal Court in Skopje acquitted former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski. The case concerns suspicions of abuse of official authority and the illegal financing of the construction of VMRO-DPMNE’s headquarters, known as the “White Palace.” /Telegrafi/