Renewed Call to Seize Former Macedonian Ruling Party's Assets

The Macedonian prosecution team tasked with investigating high-level crime has confirmed it intends to challenge the Skopje Criminal Court decision not to freeze the assets of the former ruling party VMRO DPMNE before the Supreme Court.

The Special Prosecution, SJO, had requested that the party's assets be frozen in connection to an investigation into alleged money laundering and other financial irregularities.

The SJO said it is preparing all documents needed to file a so-called "request for protection of legality" to the Supreme Court in which it will renew its request to freeze the party's assets.

"The Special Public Prosecution expects the Supreme Court to accept the request for protection of legality in this case and to send it [the case] back for revision. Thus we expect the assets of the political party in question to be secured [seized]," the SJO said on Thursday.

In May, the SJO opened an investigation in allegations against senior VMRO DPMNE members that was dubbed Talir - or 'old silver coin'. Prosecutors suspect 11 VMRO DPMNE members, including former prime minister and VMRO DPMNE leader Nikola Gruevski, of illegally financing the party by money laundering and of misuse of office.

The SJO alleges that in his capacity as VMRO DPMNE head, Gruevski accepted 4.9 million euros in illegal donations to his party between 2009 and 2015, when he was prime minister.

The SJO claims that instead of returning the money to the national budget, as should have been done when it comes to illegal donations, he used the money to illegally finance his party.

The prosecution suspects illegal donations were disguised as individual donations or membership fees and that illegal money was injected into the party's...