site.btaNorth Macedonia's Prosecution Service Investigates 23 Suspects for Public Procurement Crimes

A large-scale police operation was carried out Tuesday in Bitola, Negotino, Veles, Kichevo and Skopje, North Macedonia's prosecution service said. Earlier in the day local media outlets reported that the operation is linked to government-owned electricity producing company Elektrani na Severna Makedonija (ESM) and other energy-related companies.

The prosecution service said that warrants for procedural and investigative actions have been issued against 23 persons for whom there are reasonable suspicions "that they have committed crimes against state finances".

Earlier on Tuesday, North Macedonia's Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said he had information about the raid and it was about "justified suspicions of participants in an organized group of former executives of the state company Elektrani na Severna Makedonija (ESM) and Mining and Energy Combine Bitola and embezzlement of EUR 6.5 million".

According to prosecution service's official statement, in their capacity as officials of ESM and Post of North Macedonia, the suspects created a group whose aim was to abuse public procurement, abuse their official position and money laundering. "The suspects knowingly violated the provisions of the public procurement procedure... by colluding with other possible bidders in order to defraud the public procurement procedure...," the prosecution service said in the release.

The suspects' alleged actions took place from early last year to the middle of this year.  

"During the operation, a large number of material evidence (documentation) was secured, and about EUR 130,000 were found and seized from three persons," the country's Interior Ministry said.

According to the country's media, the suspects include two former ESM directors - Vasko Kovacevski and Vasko Stefanov.