Uncertainty Shadows Jailed Macedonian Ex-Minister's Release

Boskoski, who has spent five years in jail for the illegal financing of his political campaign, became eligible for early release from Tuesday on the basis of good behaviour. 

But it remained unclear if he would get out of jail on time to join the campaign for the pre-term parliamentary elections on June 5, as his release depends on the prison governor's approval.

Suspecting that Boskoski might be held until after the polls in order not to harm the image of the main ruling VMRO DPMNE party of Nikola Gruevski, his supporters rallied on Monday in front of Skopje's Idrizovo jail to demand that governor Zivko Pejkovski sign his early release form as soon as possible.

Boskoski's lawyer, Konstantin Kratovaliev, said that he expects the early release not to be delayed on purpose.

"The legal conditions have been met and the 90 days in which the prison chief can release a convicted person start today. The director can sign the release form at any moment," Kratovaliev said.

The prison administration was not available for comment on Monday.

Boskoski's jail sentence ends in June. But he has the right to be released 90 days early based on his good behaviour.

Boskoski, a former Interior Minister and former leader of the small rightist United for Macedonia party, was arrested on June 6, 2011, one day after the general elections that year.

He was later jailed for five years in prison for illegally financing his political campaign.

In July 2013, the Criminal Court in Skopje also sentenced Boskoski to an additional 12 years in jail for plotting to cover up a gangland murder that took place in 2001. However, this case has been sent for retrial after the Court of Appeals accepted the defence's plea.

The defence argues that...