No one from the Alliance was called in to “spill the beans”
Bojan Jovanovski’s International Alliance has responded with a statement signed by Vice President Jasna Ercegovic regarding what she described as “unfounded and tendentious speculation that is placed in the media and social networks”.
“In the interest of achieving these goals, the International Alliance (IA) has collaborated and signed agreements with two reputable domestic companies. Thus, for the first time in Macedonia, a private-nongovernmental partnership was created. The funds received on the accounts of the project coordinators are used solely to achieve the objectives of the IA and the fulfillment of the agreements concluded with the partners.
We emphasize that the fee that arrived at the account of L.T., one of the coordinators and the creator of the project, has already been investigated by the financial police and the SPO after which it was determined that the transaction was within the scope of the positive legislation of RNM and the investigation was stopped.
Delaying and tardiness in the achievement of the goals of the International Alliance is solely from objective reasons, and not at the fault of the Alliance and the project coordinators. Up to the date of this release, no member of the International Alliance or any person associated with it has not been summoned by RNM’s law enforcement authorities for allegedly operating illegally”, Bojan Jovanovski’s International Alliance said in a statement.
The Government has also distanced itself from the affair.
“Neither the Government, nor the Prime Minister nor the Secretary General have signed a document on cooperation with the International Alliance”, the Government claims regarding Bojan Jovanovski’s statement that Prime Minister Zoran Zaev had agreed to sign a document on cooperation with the NGO International Alliance.
The media also sought an answer yesterday on why the Public Prosecutor’s Office, following a record-breaking pre-trial investigation of the Reket affair, ignored questions about Katica Janeva’s role in the affair, whether it was merely a collateral damage to acquaintance with the first suspect, or whether she was involved.
“It is clear that behind the started attempt to hush the truth, some political entity has reacted quite quickly. You remember that Janeva told a news conference that she had not committed a crime. The SPO never “pointed” at Janeva with a finger, but in small words they said that she was “listening over a speakerphone when, allegedly, I repeat, one of the suspects was talking to a racketeering victim. What was discussed during that conversation and what Janeva said in that situation, the SPO did not say. If it was important for SPO to mention that moment, why, if they were clean, they did not say what Janeva said or spoke of, but then hid from the public. They did not say or indicate where and how Janeva made a mistake before the law. If the goal was to rein in Janeva and the SPO, that was achieved. This affair has cast a black spot on the SPO, at a time when politicians are deciding its future. The situation has not yet been resolved. The only option is for Janeva to step down from her current post and return to her old job, deputy public prosecutor in her native Gevgelija, and for the SPO to join the PPO”, said law professor Nikola Stojanov.
Jovanovski and Milevski are suspected of the crime of receiving reward for unlawful influence, and Boki 13 is also suspected of money laundering. Meanwhile, Janeva went on vacation, the main subjects of the PPO are also on vacation, as is the judicial community. The summer vacation has also begun for politicians, and all will return after August 25th. Prosecutor Ruskoska, who is in charge of investigating the Reket case, is also on vacation. What is official from the investigation is that the forensic examination of cell phones and computers seized is ongoing. The investigation into “Reket” is not on hold, the prosecution claims, while the government has said no one will be pardoned. VMRO-DPMNE, on the other hand, again called for an extension of the investigation not only to the perpetrators, as they say, but also to the contractors and helpers, to the PPO, to all officials in SDSM and to everyone involved in the case.