SPO: Gruevski and Ahmeti stopped the census for personal reasons

The Special Public Prosecutor’s Office today announced three new investigations against 25 individuals and four legal entities for crimes involving abuse of office, fraud and money laundering.
This was announced at today’s press conference by special prosecutor Fatime Fetai.

The first investigation is conducted under the name “Census” against the presidents of VMRO-DPMNE Nikola Gruevski and DUI Ali Ahmeti, who are suspected that in October 2011, while taking advantage of their powers as presidents of political parties, they agreed to stop the population census and hide unfavorable facts about the demographic structure of the population.

The investigation showed that on October 10 and 11, 2011, the suspects agreed to stop the implementation of the census, causing damage of 175 million denars. Evidence material pointed to suspicion that in October 2011, the suspects took advantage of their powers and, as responsible persons, presidents of political parties, abused their office and damaged the budget.

There is a well-founded suspicion that the goal of the ruling coalition was to hide the fact that they have no political capacity to organize a real population census, as well as to hide the unfavorable facts about the demographic and economic situation that resulted in the vast emigration of the working population. In order to avoid responsibility they are aware of, they have agreed to present the reasons for stopping as technical problems. Apart from the agreement of the suspects, the Government proposed to the Parliament that the census law ceased to be valid from 2011, and on October 15, 2011, a parliamentary group passed a law that ceased the operation of the census. If we analyze the reasons why the census has ceased, they are not about to be delayed, to improve the legal solutions or to train the trainers. In this way, the money spent would not be harmful and they would be used later. But the reason for cessation of the census is another – the suspects realized that it would be greatly damaged by the then ruling DUI and VMRO – DPMNE, and for personal reasons, they stopped the operation – said Fetai.