Judge adjourns Trajectory trial until March 1


A trial of former prime minister Nikola Gruevski, former deputy premier Vladimir Pesevski, ex-transport minister and the ex-director of the state road agency, Ljupco Georgievski, was adjourned until March 1.

They are indicted in the case launched by the Special Public Prosecution (SPO).

They are suspected of overstepping their jurisdiction by undertaking actions in the procedure for selection of contractor of motorway sections Miladinovci-Stip and Kicevo-Ohrid, damaging the national budget by over EUR 155 million and benefiting the contracting company.

At the trial, Gruevski requested that SMS texts should be rejected as evidence. “The manner in which the SPO has obtained them cannot guarantee their authenticity. Before being handed over to the SPO, the messages were in the hands of SDSM, the political party to which I am their political foe.”

Therefore, he said, in the interest of the proceedings, I think that the evidence should be dismissed and not taken into consideration in the process.

The trial dubbed Trajectory started all over again on Jan. 31 after the sitting council of judges was replaced.