Finance Minister: Governor did not consult me on Alta Bank's entry

Finance Minister Gordana Dimitrieska Kochoska said she was not consulted by National Bank governor Trajko Slavevski about Alta Bank's plan to enter the Macedonian market or about the intended takeover of Stopanska Bitola.

Speaking after recent comments by the governor that he had consulted with the government despite the bank's institutional independence, Kochoska denied any contact between her ministry and the central bank on this issue.

Ministry says it had no prior knowledge

"We as a ministry have had absolutely no communication, nor do we know that this bank was in negotiations, nor did we know which other institutions, banks had previously been interested, so I most responsibly assert that the Ministry of Finance had no communication with the governor on this matter," Kochoska said.

She also noted that under her remit sit the Financial Police and the Financial Intelligence Unit, and added that even after the NBRM assumed control of Alta Bank Bitola she had no internal information on developments and had generally learned about the situation from the media.

Kochoska said she does not expect the events around Alta Bank to undermine the wider banking sector because the bank's market share is very small, and she urged depositors to remain calm. She is scheduled to meet with Governor Trajko Slavevski today.

Photo: press material from the event