MISA State Secretary Jahi Jahija arrested early today


Ministry of Information Society and Administration Jahi Jahija and a 52-year-old former head of department in the same ministry are suspected of receiving bribes during the selection process for implementation of an IPA-funded project, said the Public Prosecutor’s Office for organized crime and corruption on Monday.

In period between June 2014 and August 2015, they received bribes from an Italian legal entity, through intermediaries, by travelling abroad on three occasions. This gift worth EUR 7,000 was aimed at giving the legal entity, which applied at the tender, access to confidential information. As a result, the legal entity was awarded the contract worth EUR 1,1 million.

In the course of 2016, when the Ministry already started to implement the IPA project, the first suspect received cash on two occasions in the total amount of EUR 37,930 while the second suspect received a gift in the amount of EUR 2,500.

A public prosecutor has issued an order for detention of the first suspect, while the second suspect is currently abroad.

The operation, conducted in coordination with the Italian prosecutor’s office in Milan and Eurojustice, included simultaneous searches in North Macedonia and Italy. The case was initiated by the European Anti-Fraud Office.