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News Flash from Macedonia: Zaev’s march against Zaev; political abduction of culture; abuses of official position and authority

  1. Government crime culminates: catering for 5.7 million euros!

After the public was shocked by the astronomical sums spent by government institutions for the purchase of almonds, nuts, and hazelnuts, the government again surpassed itself. Available public procurement data show that the State Archive of Macedonia, in January this year, signed a contract with a catering company worth a whopping 354 million denars or 5,7 million euros!

According to the annual report of the public sector employment Register, the institution has 272 employees. Using a modest mathematical operation, we get a staggering 21,000 euros per person, several times the annual personal income of each employee of the State Archive. This latest multi million euros worth catering procurement, as the most striking example, encapsulates the work of Zaev’s government, filled with crime, dubious public procurements, and abuses of office.

  1. Zaev’s march against Zaev

After three years in power, SDSM leader Zoran Zaev gathered the party members and took to the streets to “walk for justice”. Under this motto, the ruling party with this bizarre march last week demanded from the government(!?) rule of law and enforcement of laws. The dilemma of the citizens was unanimous about the purpose of the rally, or against whom the government protested? Those who marched and were asked by the journalist crews to answer this question also did not have the answer. Legal experts have recognized Zaev’s indirect recognition of the failure of judicial reforms and an alibi for catastrophic situations in this area and the government’s deep involvement in criminal scandals. Even more, ironically, Zaev’s calls for justice came only 24 hours after the unconstitutional adoption of the Law on Public Prosecutor’s Office.

3.The leader of SDSM with a plan against emigration: Germany is boring

Speaking on the topic of youth emigration, former Prime Minister Zoran Zaev presented an unprecedented strategy for preventing migration from Macedonia to Western European countries. The formula, says the man known for the gaffes, is simple – to convince young people that life in Germany, Switzerland, Italy is boring.

Probably they will get a bigger salary there, but no challenge. For example, Germany already has a high standard, and here we are making the changes. It is boring there and life will pass. Here the challenge is strong and young people’s lives will be fulfilled“. – Zaev said, for whom poverty and unpredictability are entertaining and wellbeing monotonous. From these perspectives, it becomes clear why, during his reign, Macedonia rose to the top of the list of countries with the highest youth unemployment.

  1. Political abduction of culture – 6.5 million euros split among party members

Just like the previous two years, the 2020 Annual Culture Program is packed with scandalous decisions, political preferences and devastating of criteria. The shocking allocation of 6.5 million euros of state money for cultural projects is again full of abuses of budget funds to fund associations and individuals close to the government. The book “Party System of Northern Macedonia” by Gjorgji Spasov, longtime party official of SDSM, two projects by Zlatko Origjanski, whom the government appointed director of the Macedonian Cultural Center in Tirana, as well as a monograph by MP Zekjir Ramchilovikj, supporter of the government, received subsidies by the Ministry of Culture. Ex-Ambassador Nano Ruzhin, known for his Initiative to nominate Zoran Zaev for Nobel Prize, also receives state support, and advisor to the National Culture Coordinator, Robert Alagjozoski is also on the list. Due to the apparent political abduction of culture and the suspicion of corrupt practices, the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption also reacted and will be investigating the procedure for allocating budget money. As an ilustration of the absurdity of the Annual Program, we highlight the title “Food Microbiology”, which, according to the Ministry, is a project of national interest.

  1. Prime Minister Spasovski abuses his official position and authority

Interior Minister Nakje Chulev has asked the public prosecutor’s office to initiate an investigation into the obstructions by caretaker Prime Minister Oliver Spasovski and grounded suspicions of a criminal offense of abuse of power and authority. Spasovski continues to obstruct the functioning of the caretaker government, causing chaos in the interior ministry:

“The government has committed a criminal offense of falsifying an official document and abusing official position and authority after it overturned 124 deployment decisions, although it reviewed only 5 of them at a government session. It is unclear how decisions that were not on the agenda at all could be revoked”. – Chulev said, explaining that the government has no right to annul individual legal acts.

  1. Scandal: Deputy Prime Minister Shekerinska caught in criminal public procurement

Deputy Prime Minister Radmila Shekerinska is involved in a suspicious public procurement conducted at the defense ministry. There are serious indications that the senior SDSM official made embezzlement of 250,000 euros. VMRO-DPMNE published documents showing that the Ministry of Defense purchased two Chinese excavators, the so-called graders, from a Serbian company and paid over 230,000 euros each. Only a few months later, the same company sold excavators of the same model and specification to the government of the Republic of Serbia, but this time for only 108,000 euros per vehicle. The nearly 250,000 euros difference in the procurments in Serbia and Macedonia is more than enough for the prosecution to launch a serious crime investigation in this public procurement.

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