900 ‘bombs’ remain to be heard as SPO’s Titanic trial resumes


More than 900 ‘bombs’ remain to be heard as the Special Prosecutor Office’s Titanic trial resumes in Skopje’s Criminal Court today. The wiretapped recordings are related to the abuse of power by several former officials in 2012.

Twenty-one individuals are indicted in the case, including former PM Nikola Gruevski.

Judge Osman Sabani is presiding the trial. All defendants are present in the courtroom today, as is Special Prosecutor Lile Stefanova.

At the start of today’s hearing, the defense asked to see the CD of the recordings. Stefanova answered it was available at the Special Prosecutor’s Office.

After the beginning remarks, the trial resumed. From Thursday until today, 106 out of 1,063 ‘bombs’ have been heard in the courtroom.

The recordings include conversations between former Interior Minister Gordana Jankulovska, former Transport Minister Mile Janakieski, former Finance Minister Zoran Stavreski, Gruevski’s Chief of Cabinet Martin Protugjer, and others, discussing the election campaign ahead of the 2013 elections.

The SPO has filed 5,910 items of evidence connected to the Titanic case and submitted a list of 191 witnesses.

Indicted in the case are former PM Nikola Gruevski and former officials Mile Janakieski, Gordana Jankuloska, Martin Protugjer, Kiril Bozinovski, Biljana Brishkoska Boshkovski, Ilija Dimovski, Munir Pepic, Edmond Temelko, Leko Ristovski, Kiril Todorovski, Katerina Velovska, Stanko Korunovski, Kosta Markovski, Dragche Dragcheski, Marjan Nakevski, Goce Janevski, Xhezmi Ahmet, Robert Davitkov, Dalibor Aleshkovikj, and Lenka Rashajkovska.

They are suspected of criminal association, violation of voting rights, election bribes, destruction of election materials and abuse of election campaign funds in 2012.