The head of the Alpha unit drove an official vehicle for a weekend in Ohrid

On the day the government was supposed to dismiss Lazo Velkovski, Director of the Public Security Bureau, whose daughter went on vacation to Greece with an official vehicle of the Ministry of Interior, the MOI was shook by another similar scandal. Primislav Dimovski, the commander of the unit Alpha, stayed in Ohrid for the weekend with an official vehicle Shkoda, where he supposedly was invited to attend a wedding of his friend’s daughter in one of the catering complexes by the lake. The newsroom of Nezavisen/Independent newspaper received photographs showing the abovementioned vehicle in Ohrid.
The Ministry of Interior asked for the question to be sent via e-mail, but up to the closing of this issue, we did not receive an answer.. We also contacted Dimovski, but he said that he is banned from talking to reporters without obtaining permission from his superiors. His relatives confirmed that he really was in Ohrid, but they denied that he attended a wedding, and that the nature of his visit was private. On the other hand, according to them, Dimovski was one of a dozen chiefs of the Ministry of Interior who had the authority to travel with an official vehicle whenever they wanted (24 hours a day) and wherever they wanted throughout Macedonia.
However, officials in the Ministry of Interior confirm that he is allowed to go wherever he wants, but he does not have the authority to work outside Skopje, unless he receives a special order from his superiors – in this case, the head of the Skopje police Toni Jakimovski, therefore his trip to Ohrid is questionable. Namely, four years ago, the Alpha unit was granted the status of a separate unit for first response and intervention within the Sector for Internal Affairs Skopje, which is why the authorizations are valid exclusively on the territory of the City of Skopje.
Primislav Dimovski is a former prominent boxer, a multiple state champion, who was appointed president of the Boxing Federation of Macedonia several months ago. He was appointed at the helm of the Alpha unit whenever the Ministry of Internal Affairs was headed by Oliver Spasovski and even when he was a technical minister in the government of VMRO-DPMNE. It was succeeded by Ivica Antevski-Puki, whose voice is heard in one of the wiretapped conversations that were published by then-President of SDSM, Zoran Zaev. The police unit Alpha is in charge of interventions in urban areas for the prevention of severe forms of crime.

Just ten days ago a police Jeep vehicle of the Ministry of Interior was photographed at a Greek pay toll and in front of the Greek camp Evridiki. After the internal investigation he conducted, Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski determined that the procedure for a business trip was not respected and, despite the warrant, there wasn’t a signed decision for a business trip. Because of this, Spasovski submitted a proposal to the Government for Lazo Velkovski’s dismissal, which is expected to be accepted at today’s session.
“We still do not have any suggestions for his successor, we have not considered it because we never thought that such a mistake could happen. We will need time to find the right solution. He is one of my first associates, I believe he will continue to be a significant partner in the Ministry of Interior because he is important due to his professional experience. Standing before the threats that were directed to him and his family from the past, he made the mistake,” said Prime Minister Zaev.
He denied that his dismissal was the result of intra-party calculations within SDSM. He assessed Velkovski as a professional member of the SDSM, who has always been a binding element in the party and added that his dismissal is an act of taking responsibility – something that the citizens of the country expect from the holders of public office.
Regarding whether Velkovski’s dismissal and the non-acceptance of the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister in charge of economic affairs Koco Angjusev represent double standards, Zaev said that in the case of Velkovski, an error was established and confirmed.
“In the case of grants from the Fund for Innovation and Technology Development, everyone according to the law in the Republic of Macedonia has the right to apply. There is no mistake in accordance with the law. The law applies equally to all. We have flagrant examples where we have already proven it. If anyone goes against the law, he / she should be held accountable. If someone makes mistakes from a technical point of view, he / she should take responsibility,” Zaev said.

Goran Adamovski