During the reading of the verdict, Judge Daniela Aleksovska emphasized that the process was influenced by the 2023 amendments to the Criminal Code and the corresponding modification of the indictment.

“Although there were reformulations in the indictment, the evidence and facts presented did not change. The court concludes that the prosecution failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant Gruevski exceeded his official duties,” Aleksovska stated.

She underlined that the trial panel fully supported the perspective of the Court of Appeals, according to which the revisions to the Criminal Code are favorable to the accused.

The acquittal, according to her, stems directly from the legal changes adopted in 2023, which also led to the annulment of the initial conviction in this case.

“Even though this decision differs from the previous one, the court’s examination and interpretation of the evidence, facts, and conclusions have remained the same. Based on the same evidentiary material on which the commission of the crime through abuse of office was previously established, the court now considers that it was not proven beyond a reasonable doubt that it was committed through exceeding authority or failure to perform official duties,” Aleksovska declared.

She confirmed that the court maintains an unchanged approach in analyzing and evaluating evidence, basing its decisions solely on established facts.

Present at the verdict hearing in the Skopje Criminal Court were the court-appointed lawyers for Gruevski, Petar Timovski, and for VMRO-DPMNE, Kristina Manevska, as well as the party’s legal representative, Lubica Nikollovska.

The costs of the court proceedings will be covered by the state budget, while the court also dismissed the prosecution’s request for the seizure of the VMRO-DPMNE headquarters.

This is a first-instance decision, and the involved parties may appeal it to higher judicial instances.

In April 2023, the “Talir 2” case was taken over by prosecutor Kristian Smilevski from the Skopje Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office, following the withdrawal of the previous prosecutor, Lenče Ristovska.

The Skopje Court of Appeals, in January 2024, overturned the first verdict for the “Talir 2” case due to amendments to the Criminal Code affecting Article 353, sending the case back for retrial at the first instance.

Meanwhile, the charge of “abuse of official position” against former government secretary general Kiril Bozhinovski became time-barred, while the proceedings continued only for former Prime Minister Gruevski and the political entity VMRO-DPMNE.

On June 7, 2022, the Skopje Criminal Court handed down its initial decision, under which Gruevski, who is abroad, received a non-final sentence of six years imprisonment, while Kiril Bozhinovski received a suspended sentence.

The post Former Prime Minister Gruevski Acquitted in “Talir 2” Case appeared first on Albeu.com.

He claims that the entire process is linked to a politically fabricated trial, for which he blames former Prime Minister Zoran Zaev.

“From time to time, the same media outlets publish headlines and articles claiming that my apartments have been seized and are up for sale. And, from time to time, I am forced to deny that those apartments have never been mine and that all of this is the result of a criminal trial motivated politically, in which the purpose and motives were political and personal, stemming from the fear and hatred of the criminal and traitor to Macedonian national interests, Zoran Zaev. Unfortunately, today Zoran Zaev, by investing his embezzled money in Dubai, Tajikistan, Switzerland, Greece and other countries around the world, and from time to time vacationing on a luxury yacht in Greece, still does not feel the consequences of his crimes not only against me, but also against the Republic of Macedonia and the Macedonians,” he writes.

A few days ago, news was published that Gruevski’s properties would be put up for sale through a public auction, while the average price per square meter reaches more than 3,400 euros.

The post Gruevski rejects claims that the confiscated apartments belong to him: They have never been my property appeared first on Albeu.com.

The public auction for the three luxury apartments is scheduled to be held on July 29, while interested parties will be able to view them on July 16.

Two of the apartments each have around 200 square meters of living space and terraces measuring slightly less than 50 square meters. The starting price set for each is 850,000 euros.

The third apartment includes around 150 square meters of space and a 95-square-meter balcony, and is going on sale with a starting price of 760,000 euros.

In total, the starting value of these three properties reaches 2.46 million euros, with an average price per square meter exceeding 3,400 euros.

However, this amount could rise even further during the public auction.

These apartments are characterized by large spaces, expansive terraces, luxury fittings, a jacuzzi and panoramic views of Skopje.

Previously, two of these apartments had already been put on the market, but their sale failed because there were no buyers.

The confiscation of the properties came after the court proceedings in the “Plots in Vodno” case, in which former prime minister Nikola Gruevski was sentenced to nine years in prison.

This case was linked to the illegal misappropriation of 1.3 million euros from party donations, which were then used to purchase land and build real estate properties.

The post Nikola Gruevski’s apartments put back up for sale, average value per square meter exceeds 3,400 euros appeared first on Albeu.com.