Foul Play Alleged in Macedonia PM Slander Case

The court hearing Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski’s slander case against opposition Social Democrats leader Zoran Zaev refused on Monday to accept the recording of the telephone call as evidence.

It also refused to question Gruevski’s former associate Den Doncev, a potentially key witness for the defence, whose voice is also on the tape, the opposition alleges.

The opposition claims that Doncev posed as a middleman in the alleged illegal sale of Makedonska Banka in 2004 to Serbian businessman Jovica Stefanovic, aka Gazda Nini (‘Boss Nini’), whose voice it also says can be heard on the tape.

The court on Monday did however question Stefanovic, who said that he knew neither Gruevski nor Doncev personally.

Zaev’s defence lawyer Miroslav suspected foul play.

“Without Doncev… and without the audio recording, Jovica Stefanovic is irrelevant for the [trial] procedure. Having in mind that the key evidence has been rejected, the refusal leaves a blank space and the court will know exactly what to ask Stefanovic,” Vujic told media outside the court.

During his testimony, Stefanovic confirmed he had bought shares in Makedonska Banka some ten years ago but denied any crime, insisting that the sale had been legally conducted through a broker’s house.

“I do not know the plaintiff [Gruevski] or the one who is being sued [Zaev]. I have not met or talked on the phone with any of them. I have not given bribes nor have I discussed this subject with any of them,” Stefanovic told the court.

Gruevski is suing the leader of the opposition for half-a-million euro for slander, after Zaev, during the general and presidential election campaign in April, accused the Macedonian premier of being involved in the corrupt...