The Basic Public Prosecutor's Office for Prosecution of Organized Crime and Corruption (OJO GOKK) announced today's action in which several former managers and employees of ESM were arrested. Here is the full announcement of the Prosecutor's Office:

"After a two-week pre-investigation procedure that began to be carried out from 21.11.2024, when the case was submitted to the competent handling of the Basic Public Prosecutor's Office for the prosecution of organized crime and corruption, today from the early hours of the morning under the leadership of two public prosecutors, a major police operation was carried out action. The units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, together with investigators from the Investigative Center of the Public Prosecutor's Office GOKK, based on 77 requests for issuing search warrants submitted to the Basic Criminal Court Skopje starting from 27.11. until December 9.12.2024, 23, they are conducting searches at locations in Bitola, Negotino, Veles, Kichevo and Skopje. Three orders have been issued to the Financial Intelligence Authority and a series of orders to provide data to competent institutions and the Ministry of the Interior. The public prosecutors issued an Order for the implementation of an investigative procedure against XNUMX persons who are suspected of having committed crimes against public finances, payment transactions and the economy, and crimes against official duty and against legal traffic.

In the period from 13.04.2023 to 23.08.2024, part of the suspects, in their capacity as officials in AD ESM and AD "Posta na Severna Macedonia" created a group whose aim was to commit criminal acts Abuse of the public call procedure, awarding of contract for public procurement or public-private partnership, Abuse of official position and authority and Money laundering and other criminal proceeds offense provided for and punishable under art. 273 of the Criminal Code. In the course of 2023 and 2024, members of this group became part of the suspects, and with the intention of obtaining for themselves or others a large-scale property benefit or to cause large-scale damage, the suspects knowingly violated the regulations for the public call procedure , awarding a contract for public procurement or public-private partnership, by colluding with other possible participants in order to cheat the procedure for awarding public procurement contracts.

Thus, after organizing and carrying out re-registration of the activity of the legal entities in their ownership, the suspected managers and owners of legal entities, as participants in procedures (economic operators), mutually agreed to rig the procedures for the procurement of coal additive for the needs of AD ESM – REC Bitola subsidiary and REC Oslomej subsidiary. In the manner described in the dispositive of the order, they enabled a criminally responsible legal entity to obtain the Public Procurement Agreement for the procurement of additives against the formation of slag/slag during the combustion of coal in the boiler, additive RPT 601, 190.000 kg. for the needs of REK Bitola and 120.000 kg. additives RPT 602 for the needs of REC Oslomej and to acquire a large-scale property benefit in the total amount of MKD 397.636.400,00.

Then, with the intention of concealing the movement of money that they knew was obtained through a criminal act Abuse of the procedure for public invitation, awarding of a contract for public procurement or public-private partnership from art. 275c of the CC, some of the suspected organizers and part of the suspected members of the criminal association in the period from 24.11.2023 to 28.06.2024 in Bitola, Negotino and Skopje put into circulation, received money, transferred money and withdrew cash in the total amount of MKD 414.776.400.

The action is ongoing, material evidence is being provided on the basis of which a decision will be made to apply security measures to the suspects, about which the public will be informed during the course of tomorrow," said the GOKK PJSC.

The former director of ESM, Vasko Stefanov, who was out of the country, was also arrested