Martin Sipkovski, 20, died in Belgrade — accused in Skopje of car arson
Sipkovski, 20, died in Belgrade handling an explosive; he was accused in Skopje of setting a car on fire and continued to be summoned after his death.
Twenty-year-old Martin Sipkovski, who died in Belgrade after mishandling an explosive intended for criminal settlements and liquidations, had been formally charged in Skopje with setting fire to a car, court records show.
Trial continued despite his death
The Skopje case relates to an arson incident that took place three years ago. Investigators say the alleged victim in that case does not know who ordered the attack or why the vehicle was torched. The criminal proceedings in Skopje were opened three months after Sipkovski's death.
Prosecutors registered Sipkovski as an accused in the arson, and court files indicate that, because there was no official confirmation of his death at the time, he continued to be summoned to hearings posthumously.
The circumstances of Sipkovski's death in Belgrade — reportedly the result of incorrect handling of an explosive device intended for criminal reprisals and liquidations — emerged during a wider investigation into young Macedonians recruited by Serbian‑Montenegrin narcotics clans for criminal tasks across the region.
The reporting also examines how these recruitment networks identify and exploit vulnerable youth, and outlines measures aimed at preventing such abuses. The television programme KOD will air this continuation of the investigation after the evening news at 19:15.
Photo: press material from the event
