Pece Matevski sentenced to two years for abuse of office in REK Bitola procurement
Judge Goran Dimovski found 178.37 million denars in damage; suspended sentences were handed to commission members and three procurement bureau employees.
Bitola — Former director of REK Bitola, Pece Matevski, was sentenced to two years in prison for abuse of official position and authority in a public procurement for overburden removal in which the Bitola company Rudkop was awarded the contract while the offer from Skopje-based Granit was excluded.
The verdict was delivered by Judge Goran Dimovski of the Basic Court in Bitola, which determined that the conduct of the defendants at REK Bitola caused damage of 178.37 million denars (about €2.9 million).
Suspended sentences for members of the commission and procurement bureau
According to the court rationale, Matevski and three members of the Expert Commission enabled Rudkop to obtain benefit equal to the difference between the submitted prices after Granit was excluded from the procedure and denied the opportunity to participate in the electronic auction.
Three commission members — Dimitar Petkovski, Blagojche Gjorgievski and Toni Angelevski — received suspended sentences of one year each, which will not be executed provided they do not commit a new criminal offence within two years from the finality of the verdict.
Three employees of the Bureau for Public Procurement — Aleksandra Madzevska-Saracincheva, Azemina Uchkan and Dobrila Jordanovska — were also given suspended sentences of eight months each, with a probation period of one and a half years.
The court acquitted Snezana Makarijoska, Anita Kuzevska and Ljupcho Stefanovski, members of the Procurement Commission, finding that the prosecution did not prove they committed the offences they were charged with.
In addition, the Basic Court decided to maintain a provisional freezing measure on roughly €3.5 million held by Rudkop, owned by Kiril Biljanovski. The funds will remain frozen until the criminal proceedings are finally concluded unless circumstances arise that require a change to the measure.
The court also instructed the injured legal entity AD ESM to pursue compensation for the damage through a civil action.
The indictment in the case was represented by prosecutor Olivera Nechakovska from the Basic Public Prosecution in Bitola.
Photo: press material from the event
