The members of the State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption finally completed their security clearances last month for the inspection of documents that have a level of classification, but even with those clearances, they have not made a decision since July whether Ivana Stojanovska meets the requirements to be Deputy Director of the Intelligence Agency (IA), i.e. does he/she have at least ten years of work experience in the field of security, defense or foreign policy as stipulated by the Law on the IA.

Anti-corruption activists need to decide whether her scientific research work from 2006 to 2016 at two private universities will be considered experience in the field of security, given that Stojanovska did not teach subjects in the field of security, defense, or foreign policy, but was an assistant who taught computer electronics, introduction to C programming, or subjects in the field of informatics.

Her biography has been published on the Intelligence Agency's website, according to which Stojanovska was a research assistant from 2006 to 2016, while from 2016 to 2024 she worked at the Intelligence Agency, first as head of a department in the Directorate for Technical Intelligence and Information Support, then as head of this sector, and finally heading the Sector for Information and Communication Technologies.

This means that Stojanovska worked at the Intelligence Agency for about eight years, but those two years are disputed in order to reach ten years, and the president Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova during the appointment, she also took into account her work experience as an informatics assistant at the Faculty of Detectives and Security at FON University.

– The procedure regarding the case established following a filed complaint regarding the appointment of Ivana Stojanovska as Deputy Director of the Intelligence Agency is ongoing. The decision regarding the aforementioned case will be made and referred to a public session of the SCPC – say the Anti-Corruption Commission.

"Sloboden Pechat" had insight into the letter sent by the American University of Europe - FON to the SCPC back in September last year, where Stojanovska worked as an assistant. The letter shows that Stojanovska was first selected as a junior assistant at the Faculty of Political Science and International Relations in the subject of Information Technologies. She was then appointed to the title of junior assistant at the Faculty of Information and Communication Technologies, then became an assistant, and was selected by the Faculty of Informatics in the field of information technologies.

As an assistant she taught the subjects Computer Electronics, Introduction to Programming, Principles of Logic Design and Discrete Automata, Object-Oriented Programming, Computer Components, Software Engineering, Object-Oriented Analysis, and Game Theory.

In addition to being hired as an assistant at the Faculty of Informatics, she was also hired at the Faculty of Detectives and Security in the subject Applied Informatics, at the Faculty of Political Sciences and International Relations, at the Faculty of Law, and at the Faculty of Economic Sciences in the subject E-Society.

Two months ago, the VMRO-DPMNE MP, Brane Petrushevski before the Legislative and Legal Committee, requested an authentic interpretation of an article from the Law on the Intelligence Agency, i.e. requested that the MPs interpret whether the years spent as an assistant at a private university carrying out teaching and scientific activities can be considered work experience in the field of security.

However, with the opinion of the Government of the Commission, his request for an authentic interpretation was unanimously rejected, explaining that Article 9 is clear, and among its conditions is that for a management position at the AR, the candidate should have at least ten years of work experience in these areas, and the Private Faculty is accredited to carry out teaching and educational activities.

In addition to Stojanovska, the SCPC had also received a complaint about the director of the Intelligence Agency, Gabriela Yakovleva which stated that it did not submit reports on the work of the Agency to either the Parliament or the President of the Government.

However, the Commission declared itself incompetent for this matter last year and sent it to President Siljanovska-Davkova, under whose jurisdiction the Intelligence Agency falls.

– Regarding the issue of the Director of the Intelligence Agency, Gabriela Jakovleva, a case has been opened and a Decision has already been made at a session of the SCPC, in which it was concluded that the SCPC does not have jurisdiction over the reported allegations and that it has submitted a notification to the President of the Republic of North Macedonia for further measures for competent action. Regarding the same, the SCPC has not received any information from the President of the Republic of North Macedonia regarding the activities undertaken – the SCPC told "Sloboden Pechat".

The President's Office did not respond to why the President is still silent about the SCPC's request.

After the change of government, VMRO-DPMNE changed the top positions in the security services before the mandates of their predecessors expired, so in place of Erold Musliu in the Intelligence Agency, it appointed Jakovleva and deputy Stojanovska, and in the National Security Agency (ANB), in place of Zare Miloshevski, it appointed Bojan Hristovski, about whom there were nine complaints to the SCPC, but the Commission found nothing controversial in his appointment. The language certificate, which was one of the disputed before the SCPC, is now being checked by the Skopje Public Prosecutor's Office. Otherwise, in the ANB, where the deputy was previously elected during the mandate of the former SDSM and DUI government, a new deputy director has not yet been appointed.

Siljanovska paid her first working visit to the Intelligence Agency today, where she was presented with the Agency's Annual Report for 2024, as well as current and medium-term regional and national security threats, risks, and challenges.

-In a conversation with the Agency's management, the President was introduced to the operational, analytical, technical and personnel capacities and the possibilities for their further improvement. They also discussed the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the first law on the Intelligence Agency, which will be appropriately marked in March this year - AR announced.