“Racket” case – Stefanova: I told the PPO all I know


I told the prosecutor all I know, Stefanova says following her five-hour hearing at the Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime and Corruption, the SPO’s Lile Stefanova said she had shared all details she was privy to regarding the Empire and Racket cases.

“Today I came here as a witness,” Stefanova told reporters after the hearing. “I testified for around five hours and I shared all I know about the case with the relevant public prosecutor.

“Bearing in mind my witness status and the secrecy of the investigation, I can’t say anything more than what I’ve already said.”

Stefanova is the lead prosecutor in the Empire case, in which businessman Orce Kamchev is the prime suspect charged with criminal association, abuse of office, fraud and money laundering.

Along with her superior Katica Janeva, Stefanova was mentioned in the recordings related to the Empire and Racket cases released recently by Italian newspaper La Verità online.

In a written statement on Friday, Stefanova dismissed Kamchev’s allegations.

“Completely untrue is the suspect Jordan Kamchev’s statement in the recording in which he allowed himself to use my name,” Stefanova wrote.

“His goal, in my opinion, is to discredit me as lead prosecutor, especially considering he taped the conversation with Bojan Jovanovski,” she added.

Meanwhile, the SPO’s Elizabeta Josifovska was called in on Monday.

Josifovska earlier said she had put down her signature to approve the return of Kamchev’s passport, explaining it was Janeva’s decision which she, as her deputy, had to sign while Janeva was on holiday.

The PPO didn’t say if or when Janeva would be called in to testify.

The lead prosecutor in the Racket case is Vilma Ruskoska, head of the Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime and Corruption.