End of the farce: No one is guilty of Gruevski’s escape


The Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office found that no official person had helped or participated in the organization and realization of Nikola Gruevski’s escape. So far, the evidence obtained has led to the conclusion that there were certain shortcomings in the actions of the competent institutions, but they did not constitute a criminal offense and were not within the competence of the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

The prosecutor’s office said they had requested thevideo surveillance videos from the Safe City system in Skopje, from several hotels and other facilities, from the road to Spilje and Debar, from the airport in Skopje, and from all border crossings to Albania.

“Three hotels in Skopje responded that they were not able to extract the recorded video material, for which the competent public prosecutor issued an order for seizing the receivers for recording and their expertise.

The complete recorded video material of about 10 terabytes is submitted for analysis to the Ministry of the Interior. This order is still being handled,” said the BPPO.

Interpol has sent information through the Ministry of Interior indicating that there are no data for Gruevski’s escape at any border crossing from Macedonia during the critical period. With international legal assistance, the Prosecution sent a request to the competent institutions in Albania and Montenegro on November 19th for providing video surveillance videos at the border crossings, as well as cameras covering the surroundings of the Hungarian Embassy in Tirana. The Montenegrin authorities gave us the materials two days later.

“The competent authorities of Albania, after two urgencies, informed us on January 9 that the requested video material was large and that they do not possess the equipment for its transmission. Our hard-drive teams headed to Albania to seize the requested material, but were orally informed that the material was not preserved, that the duration of the storage of the recorded material differs at different border crossings and is about one month from the last requested date,” explained the Prosecution.

For this particular case, 16 orders for listings of 60 telephone numbers were issued, 56 persons were investigated, out of which 28 police officers from the border crossings, six members of Gruevski’s security, five officials from the Ministry of Interior and 17 other persons. The prosecution from all institutions received an answer that nobody knew that Gruevski was planning the escape. It was confirmed that in September, the former prime minister withdrew 120,000 euros from his accounts in three banks in Skopje on the same date. The banks informed the Financial Intelligence Directorate and the Special Public Prosecutor’s Office. It is unclear why this was not seen as suspicious by the competent institutions.
“Until this moment the competent prosecutor has not established the existence of criminal liability of officials who helped or participated in the organization and realization of the escape of the now-convicted Nikola Gruevski. So far, the evidence obtained suggests that there were certain omissions in the actions of the competent institutions, which do not constitute a criminal act and are not within our competence,” concluded the Prosecutor’s Office.

Although the investigation continues, the expectations that no one will answer that Gruevski, who was supposed to serve his two-year prison sentence in Suto Orizari for the acquisition of the luxury Mercedes and managed to escape, have been confirmed. Just a few days later, he was granted asylum in Budapest, and from there he sent messages to the Macedonian public that he had to flee because of the political persecution against him and the information that someone was plotting his liquidation in prison.

(GA)